Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards recognise country's skillsThe ninth annual awards ceremony of Mondi Shanduka Newsprint and the Newspaper Association of South Africa held at Soccer City in Johannesburg earlier this week demonstrated that the power of the printed media is still excellent in South Africa. On Wednesday, 5 May 2010, the packed programme saw awards in 15 categories, a Lifetime Achiever award, the special categories of South African Story of the Year and South African Newspaper Journalist of the Year, a Print Media Fellowship and the Frewin, Joel Mervis and McCall awards. Category winnersThe winners in the competition's 15 categories were singled out from 41 shortlisted candidates selected among 604 entries.
Lifetime Achiever Award South African arts journalist, Adrienne Sichel, who has been described as a ‘national treasure' for her contribution to the coverage of the performing arts - is the winner of the 2009 Alan Kirkland Soga Lifetime Achiever award presented by Mondi Shanduka Newsprint and the Newspaper Association of South Africa. Special categoriesThe winners in the special categories of South African Story of the Year and South African Newspaper Journalist of the Year were also recognised for their excellence in newspaper journalism. Gcina Ntsaluba of the Daily Dispatch clinched the South African Story of the Year for the story ‘Broken Homes', which was about delivery - or, as represented by this story, non-delivery. The investigation into low-cost housing construction tenders in the Eastern Cape used the best of traditional journalistic methods to investigate at firsthand the delivery of sub-standard housing and its impact on the communities. In nine weeks, and over visits to seven towns, Ntsaluba documented a litany of dodgy deals. Ntsaluba produced a story that had impact beyond the borders of the Eastern Cape. It led to intervention by the Minister of Human Settlements and a visit from the Parliament's Housing Portfolio Committee. Stephan Hofstatter was named as Journalist of the Year for various articles including ‘The real trouble with land reform' in The Weekender and ‘Fat cats milk R100-m fund' in the Sunday Times. “In his land reform piece, he provides a fascinating yet compact analysis of land reform, reflecting a wide range of perspectives in it - including workers, owners and experts. This piece was thus especially strong on multi-sourcing and giving all views a hearing (even those that disagreed with the main thrust of the analysis). It was well written - and it flows nicely, which can be difficult with such a complex subject. The article demonstrates a depth of insight, which can only come from having spoken to as many people as possible,” commented the judges. “The article on “Fat Cats” covered the complexity of an emerging scandal at the Land Bank. It provides a lot of good detail, demonstrating reporting acumen and highly effective story-telling talent. His other submissions were also of high quality.” Print Media FellowshipAt the function, the Print Media South Africa (PMSA) honoured Peter Sullivan with a Print Media Fellowship for his determination, dedication and integrity in a passionate drive for the betterment of the South African newspaper industry. In his 28-year career, he has held several posts, culminating in his appointment as editor of The Saturday Star and then The Star between 1995 and 2001. Following his editorship of The Star, he held the position of editor-in-chief at Independent Newspapers, which included his representation on several industry bodies, ensuring that they played their rightful role in securing the future of the newspaper industry. It is his contribution and commitment in this arena that earned him the fellowship. Frewin, Joel Mervis and McCall awardsThe annual Frewin, Joel Mervis and McCall awards, which have been in existence for a collective 120 years, recognise newspaper excellence in advertising, printing and production, layout and typography as well as the balance between the use of pictures and graphics. Die Burger won the Frewin Award, which recognises urban daily newspapers with a circulation above 50 000. The judges had this to say about the winner, “Overall this paper presents a solid visual delivery, with an extremely neat and tidy appearance.” Volksblad clinched the McCall Award, which honours urban daily newspapers with a circulation of 50 000 or less. “A professional-looking paper with a very good, consistent visual delivery,” said the judges. The Joel Mervis Award, which recognises urban weekly newspapers irrespective of their circulation, was presented to Naweek Beeld. “Good, sound visual presentation. Interesting pictures, well presented to support news articles. Beeld has proved to be one of the country's top newspapers for 2010. The skills employed to maintain such a fine paper are phenomenal,” commented the judges. Go to www.mondishanduka.co.za/news_2010_05_06_MSNA%20Awards%20Release%201.htm for more. |