And the 2004 Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year is...

Trailing her is Marina Bidoli, previously with Financial Mail, while journalist Phillip de Wet and Moneyweb's Belinda Anderson share joint third place. The awards were made at a banquet in Bryanston, Johannesburg, Thursday, 24 February 2005.

Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya, who was one of the judges of the competition, said McCracken - both lifestyle magazine category and overall winner - displayed authority, subject knowledge and lucid writing. "The strong performers had done plenty of research and tended to be genuinely interested in their topic," said Makhanya.

Telkom and the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) launched the competition five years ago to develop and nurture journalists' interest in the Information Communication Technology industry. Lulu Letlape, Telkom's Group Executive for Corporate Communication, said the awards had now become the most sought-after accolades in the field of ICT journalism.

Co-judge Nick Worrall of the IAJ said the winners had succeeded in not just passing on information, but in analyzing and discussing their topic in detail.

The competition attracted a record 335 entries across eight categories this year. Dominating the media coverage last year was the liberalization of the South African telecommunications industry, the debacle over the licensing of the Second Network Operator, the Voice Over Internet Protocol and the ICT Charter.

Despite the overwhelming response, the judges felt there was room for improving the quality of coverage. As Makhanya noted: "Television and radio require specific attention, while the dearth of black journalists in the sector is particularly discouraging."

BJM Securities CEO Andile Mazwai, another judge, felt journalists should consider why they were covering a story in the first place. "Too many seemed to be works of labour rather than works of passion. Nick Worrall encourages journalists to improve their coverage of the ICT sector through original research and more profound thought.

Other judges included Professor Guy Berger, the head of Journalism Department at Rhodes University and Lucienne Abrahams, director of the Learning, Information, Networking and Knowledge (Link) Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Other category winners and runners-up are:

Electronic

Winner: Belinda Anderson (Moneyweb)
2nd place: Rodney Weidemann (ITWeb)
3rd place: Warwick Ashford (ITWeb)

Broadcast Television

2nd place: Sumitra Nydoo (SABC Business Update)
3rd place: Njanji Chauke (SABC TV)

Mainstream Newspaper

Winner: Phillip de Wet (ThisDay)
2nd place: Gugulakhe Masango (Business Report)
3rd place: Toby David Shapshak (ThisDay)

Business Magazine

Winner: Marina Bidoli (Financial Mail)
2nd place: Matthew Buckland (Brainstorm/The Media)
3rd place: Arthur Goldstuck (Intelligence)

New Journalist

Winner: Nicola Mawson (Engineering News)
Commendable mention: Teresa Alho (Summit TV) and Damian Clarkson (ITWEB)

Broadcast Radio

Winner: Tshepo Ikaneng (SABC Radio)

Lifestyle Magazines

Winner: Patricia McCracken (Caxton Magazines)
2nd place: Jennifer Stastny (Popular Mechanics)
3rd place: Anthony Doman (Popular Mechanics)

The winner of each category receives a R10 000 cash prize.