Legal Journalist of the Year winners

The Financial Mail's Rob Rose has taken first place in the print category, and the SABC's Sasha Wales-Smith the electronic media category, in the 2008 Webber Wentzel Legal Journalist of the Year competition, it was announced yesterday, Wednesday, 12 November 2008.

Bruce Cameron was runner up in the print category and Mandy Weiner of Radio 702/Cape Talk was runner up in the electronic category.

This year, Webber Wentzel saw a marked increase in the number of entries received, especially in the increasingly powerful world of the electronic media. First place winners received R50 000 each.

Speaking yesterday at the awards ceremony, David Lancaster, the corporate law firm's senior partner, said, “The law and the legal system can be a very abstract concept for non-lawyers, yet they have an enormous impact on the everyday lives of individuals, our society and its institutions. The media plays a profoundly important role in letting people know what is happening inside the sometimes arcane world of our courts, as well as explaining the impact of legislation and legal decisions.

“It is for this reason that Webber Wentzel is committed to rewarding those dedicated and skilled journalists who play this vital service.”

The judges said that Rose's entries were extremely strong, including a report on controversy within the legal profession on the issue of fronting, as well as a hard-hitting investigative piece into the lending practices of a furniture retailer. They also said his work showed thorough research, a profound understanding of technically complex legal issues as well as an ability to make these accessible to a general readership.

Of Wales-Smith's winning entry “A question of honour”, which was produced for SABC 3's Special Assignment, the judges said it was a riveting piece of investigative journalism, which revealed the shocking extent to which the entire criminal justice system for the police to the courts fails women who make reports of being raped. She used a hidden camera to reveal the real actions and words of the police in stations where women face more violation as they attempt to report the violations of their bodies. The judges felt that her entry was exemplary for its educative value on the both the legal issues and the system.

Judges were: Prof Tawana Kupe from Wits University School of Literature, Language and Media Studies, and Franz Kruger, a senior lecturer in journalism at Wits University, ombudsman at the Mail & Guardian and editor of www.journalism.co.za.

This is the 10th year that Webber Wentzel has sponsored the competition.