In the last year I've visited the US and the UK and the one thing they have in common is their fear of South Africa as a destination. Unless they've already been here, you'll hear the same refrain - “South Africa, oh no, wouldn't consider going there - way too dangerous.” 22 Oct 2009 09:41
As I write this it's elections day. The talking is over and it's time for people to make their mark and maybe change their lives. But how effective was the ‘talking'? How well did the various parties use the ‘free' editorial opportunities that were given to them? 23 Apr 2009 14:19
Well, maybe they're sometimes unused and not all are unloved, but it made you read this, didn't it? I spend a lot of time rewriting other people's work or, worse, trying to decipher press releases and editing reams of paper which make up reports. And then I meet up with other freelancers who complain of how quiet it is right now and I wonder, "Why don't more companies take advantage of these really talented people?" 27 Oct 2008 09:05
We all know the feeling. You're at a speech day, wedding or company function when the moment nobody's been waiting for arrives - the obligatory speeches. If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the collective sigh. People brace themselves and wait hopefully for pearls of wisdom to wash over them. Sometimes the wait is rewarded and the speech is funny, topical and most importantly short. Other times - not so much. 20 Oct 2008 09:09
New movements seem to be in the air and I'm thinking of starting one myself - but this one has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with language. 8 Oct 2008 09:28
Every time I give a writing course for business people in particular, I hear the same thing: “I know I'm writing too much but my client/boss insists on at least three pages, giving all the technical data with at least three quotes.” 3 Sep 2008 09:08
They've done it again: the UCT Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing that brought you the Wildfire and the groundbreaking Black Diamond research projects has launched its latest study on the ‘Prime Time' generation which shows that South African marketers, unlike their European and American counterparts, are ignoring one of the most lucrative markets around. 15 Aug 2008 08:59
Communication is what I do for a living and I have to say, in my last 20 years as a journalist, technology has made my job easier and easier - albeit puzzling at times. But I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps we were better off before instant messaging. 26 Jun 2008 09:05
Another title here could be “Lazy journalism at its best”. For the last 14 years of teaching journalism I've said more times than I can remember to my students that I don't want regurgitated Internet text in their work. I understand the enormous value of the Internet in terms of research and indeed use it myself constantly - BUT I'm also aware of the law of copyright and that dirty word - plagiarism. 13 May 2008 09:00
Just recently I gave a workshop to the communications department of one of South Africa's top companies. Before the course they sent me a sample of their in-house publications which I ploughed through – ploughed being the operative word here. Apart from the usual dreaded 'hatched, matched and despatched', there was a collection of jargon second to none... 25 Mar 2008 09:06
Your client is really impressed – he's just had an hour-long interview with a reporter from one of the national dailies which you secured for him. You wait with bated breath for the newspaper to hit the streets so you can bask in the glory of the unpaid glowing editorial. After all your client told him EVERYTHING he thought the reporter should know – or did he? 6 Dec 2007 09:15
Picture this – an award ceremony held in a convention centre past Joburg International, midweek 5pm. By now you realise that for most people attending, this meant driving out to the Far East through hideous traffic, risking the dreaded Gillooly's Interchange. Then when you reach the event, you find all the cold drinks gone and just green devil juice aplenty. Had I known just how boring the events were about to become, maybe a couple of these would have helped… 18 Sep 2007 10:04
OK, so I know we journalists are always going on about the really ridiculous, rotten press releases we receive but I felt I would just share a couple with you all so you can judge for yourself. 12 Jul 2007 09:12
And once again a reputation goes down the tubes – all for the want of communicating with the media. This time it’s Royal Canin – the company that manufactures Vets Choice, which recently announced a recall of all dog and cat dry food products manufactured under the Vets Choice and Royal Canin brands in South Africa produced between 8 March 2007 to 11 April 2007. 20 Apr 2007 18:06
You wake up one morning, look in the mirror and ugh… you are horrified! You see lines where there were none before and cracks forming that will need Polyfilla sooner rather than later. But you’ve read really bad reports about Botox and heard horror stories from friends. BUT WAIT - what’s this in the latest edition of ‘Beauty Mag’ – a completely safe, foolproof way to look younger and it MUST BE TRUE because it’s in the editorial section… 19 Apr 2007 21:40
On behalf of the South African media I would like to thank Renault SA for its generosity in boosting advertising revenue recently. For those of you who may not have noticed its full page ads, radio spots and television advertisements informing the public of its new improved service offerings, let me fill you in. 13 Feb 2007 17:54
Over the last 10 years of working closely with public relations companies and training their staff on release writing, I hear the same cry, "But the client won't accept a one page release." So how do you overcome this perennial problem? 25 Jan 2007 15:59
Now come on, admit it - how many of you actually look forward to receiving your company newsletter? Do you wait for that Monday morning of the second or third month with your heart beating in anticipation of the great read you're about to receive? 19 Oct 2006 16:07
Everyone knows the expression 'there's no such thing as bad publicity'. Well, I've got news for you: there is. As a media consultant I often get called in when the proverbial s**t has hit the fan and usually one finds that with a little forward thinking most of these 'crisis situations' could have been either diffused or certainly handled more competently. 22 Feb 2006 12:51
Everyone knows the expression 'there's no such thing as bad publicity' - well, I've got news for you - there is. As a media consultant I often get called in when the proverbial s**t has hit the fan and usually one finds that with a little forward thinking most of these 'crisis situations' could have been either diffused or certainly handled more competently. 6 Feb 2006 13:57
Marion Scher is an award-winning freelance journalist who writes for many of South Africa's major consumer publications and the custom publishing field, as well as public relations companies and the corporate world. Through her company Media Mentors (
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