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Nadine Mather and Chloë Loubser
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Newsmaker of 2009 is... a thriller
Following a poll across its two million readers, News24 announced on Friday 18 December 2009 that Michael Jackson was the News24 Newsmaker of the Year. Chosen from a line-up of some controversial individuals - Joost van der Westhuizen, Jacob Zuma and Caster Semenya among others - it was the King of Pop who outran the competition, beating Caster in a voter's photo finish.
Jannie Momberg, News24 editor says, "After what has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging years financially, 2009 has also had its fair share of interesting newsmakers. From a new President, the death of a pop icon to an athletics gender debate that captured international media attention, this showcases who South Africans think best deserves the title.
"Semenya only lost out with a handful of votes to Jackson indicating the depth of emotion stirred during the aftermath of her triumph as 800m World Champion," comments Momberg.
A shortlist of 11 newsmaker finalists, chosen each month from a panel of three, were put forward for the public's vote during the first half of December 2009. "The winner not only made the homepage time and time again, he also generated the most commentary in our user-generated section MyNews24 and on the comment forums," explains Momberg. "So, whether you were a Michael Jackson fan or not, his sudden death - which was clouded in controversy and suspicion - sparked a flurry of heated discussions on our open and interactive platforms."
Results
1. Michael Jackson
2. Caster Semenya
3. Jacob Zuma
4. Joost van der Westhuizen
5. Jonathan Jansen
6. Leonard Chuene
7. Graeme Smith
8. Dalai Lama
9. Sasha-Lee Davids and Jason Hartman
10. Carl Niehaus
