The financial situation of the media industry in South Africa is grim, but there are signs…

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The walls seem to be closing in on the media industry, with talent, resources and morale shattered. Public attention is turning to digital platforms, advertising is drying up and, along with the financial interests and machinations of political actors, trust in the media has eroded.

Just last week, reports surfaced that eMedia was cutting around 50 staff from its Cape Town office, which produced polished shows for NewsLink (eNCA) and eTV news. This is after the company reportedly informed staff that its viewership figures were not bringing in numbers comparable to sports and reality TV. The news has rarely reported the same numbers as the sport. If only, in the real world, audiences would pay more attention to news.

The written press is also on the edge of the abyss. Ten years ago, the print shop had teams of sub-editors, sub-editors, production editors and even proofreaders – currently a luxury – taking one last look at the product before it reaches the publisher’s desk. Now the grimace creeps into too many stories. It goes far beyond typos: it also means sloppy and sensational reporting on 10 living but mysteriously missing babies born to a mother in Tembisa, and deferential TV interviews with the suspended ANC secretary general. , Ace Magashule, the day before his trial appearance for fraud.

Against the backdrop of an industry under fire and the fallout from the pandemic, comes the latest report on the state of the University of the Witwatersrand Newsroom.

It reflects the industry’s dire financial situation, while revealing promising signs that journalism is resilient and more important than ever to democracy – it innovates, adapts to its environment and continues to tell stories.

After two years of the pandemic, the report strikes an optimistic tone, noting there are signs of a resurgence – despite around 700 jobs lost for the industry due to Covid fallout, ruinous pay cuts and cutbacks.

He acknowledges that while journalism faces many challenges, including declining newspaper readership and free TV news audiences (on some channels), police harassment and ethical lapses, he s This is a sector renowned for its excellence.

Dr. Dinesh Balliah, Acting Director of the Wits Center for Journalism, notes in her foreword that late last year two journalists were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to promote freedom of expression. , which is a prerequisite for democracy and lasting peace. : Maria Ressa (co-founder and CEO of Rappler) and Dmitry Muratov (editor-in-chief of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta).

Balliah said journalism is not in decline, as many suggest: “It is in unprecedented demand – but how to fund it remains the burning question. The lack of trust in the relationship between journalists and the public remains a significant threat to the viability of media enterprises and to the relevance of media in society. Without this trust, the relationship does not exist.

The report’s lead researcher and editor, Alan Finlay, breaks the report down into three topics: the impact of Covid-19 on the media; the difficult terrain of data and data governance, and how South African media should reorient itself towards a local data narrative; and what media professionals thought of the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) report on media ethics.

“It’s now a common conversation about how the lockdown has shredded the print media – with many pointing to the impact on the magazine trade and on community newspapers.”

He says several well-known magazine titles were shut down by magazine giants Media24, Associated Media Publishing and Caxton and CTP Publishers and Printers in 2020, while a number of local newspapers were mothballed or merged.

“By the end of the year [2020]at least 10 local newspapers had been taken down in one way or another – a blow to community news and accountability in cities and towns, arguably where it’s needed most.

Finlay says that while the media did a good job, especially during the early stages of the pandemic, it was a disappointing year, with record TV ratings during the first month of the hard lockdown. SABC3 News, in particular, saw a strong increase in its audience, with a strong increase of 65%.

“But audience levels, perhaps due to news fatigue, quickly returned to their downward trend for some free stations. Primetime on e.tv and SABC3 attracted around half of their 2016 audience.”

It’s not all bad news, as the former director general of Sanef, Kate Skinner, points out the “counter-trends of innovation and improvements in the quality of information and reporting , especially on health topics,” the brave leap into print from the Daily Maverick, and News24 seizes on peak internet viewership as the introductory moment to place content behind a paywall.

Internet traffic has exploded under the lockdown, with traffic to some news sites up around 72%. TV ratings also soared, with the SABC recording a 40% increase in isiZulu TV news and a 60% increase for the isiXhosa TV news installment shortly after the declaration of a national state of disaster.

There has also been world-class reporting, particularly small donor-funded operations such as Bhekisisa, Health-e News and Spotlight, partnerships between various media organizations, innovative use of technology and exploration of journalism from data.

However, they expressed concern about the spike in the number of reported incidents of assault, harassment and other assaults by police, noting that in 2019 only two such incidents were reported, but that in 2020, 12 incidents were reported, “only some of which can be attributed to the disorderly enforcement of lockdown regulations”.

“Some were more serious than others, with journalists in need of medical attention, but it seems to be quite common for police to casually insist that journalists delete their images.”

The pandemic has had both positive and negative outcomes, and it’s hard to see the benefits of Covid-19, with channels and publications shut down, job losses, misinformation, ethical lapses and many other problems. But innovation, the fight against misinformation and opportunities in the media offer hope for the future. And that’s what energizes storytellers around the world. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly newspaper Daily Maverick 168 which is available for R25 from Pick n Pay, Exclusive Books and airport bookstores. To find your nearest retailer, please click on here.

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