Live blogging: Adding another dimension to online media
By Roy Barford // July 30, 2010
Live blogging is just another reason why digital media is becoming more popular than its print predecessor. Whether you are stuck at the office and want to find out what is happening in a cricket match in India, or the electricity goes out during the Oscars, you can still find out what is happening, as it happens.
Read more…Marine magic at Two Oceans Aquarium
By Ingrid Sinclair // May 07, 2010
Today, we launched the new Two Oceans Aquarium website. It’s an odd thing to look back on, especially since in many ways the work only really starts now. But reflection holds many valuable lessons and learning is certainly something we’ve been doing a lot of over the past month. Read more…
0 comments // Design | Journalism | Our Work | Web Development
How do you spell Eugene Terre’ Blanche?
By Aneshree Naidoo // April 28, 2010
The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (yes, the AWB) spells the name of its erstwhile head in all its accented glory, Eugène Terre’Blanche, but online news sites across the world have at least two other spellings of the infamous AWB leader’s name.
South Africa’s Mail & Guardian Online (www.mg.co.za) spells it as Eugene Terre’Blanche, along with News24 (www.news24.com) and Independent Online (www.iol.co.za).
However, the Times Online (www.thetimes.co.za) spells his name without the second accent, so Eugene Terre Blanche, but in at least one instance it is spelt Eugene Terreblanche. Read more…
Journ-AIDS provides safe passage through HIV/AIDS reporting minefield
By Nikolai Viedge // April 28, 2010
HIV/AIDS is a tricky subject to cover, journalistically speaking.
In addition to being a chronic illness which, if left untreated, is fatal, it also carries with it social stigma that has seen people vilified, ostracised, and in some cases, murdered, simply for having contracted the disease.
Reporting on the disease abounds with stereotypes and stereotyping. The Fourth Estate is encouraged to provide an independent voice and perspective, but it’s all too easy to simply reflect the views of those who see the disease as “a whore’s disease”, “a gay disease” or “a black disease”. Read more…
New website launched for South African National Editors’ Forum
By Bev Tucker // February 02, 2010
First glances can be so deceptive. Revamping the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) website looked like it would be a fairly quick job; a sprint rather than a marathon. You understand. But, as I said, first glances … .
It turned out the old site had quite a bit of content to unravel and repackage before we could bring it up to date. In addition to a new structure and functionality, the pages called for a fresh look and feel. This was the starting point for the project I’d be managing.
Read more…Fellowship helping to bring credibility back to journalism
By Nikolai Viedge // January 28, 2010
In a world of tabloids and sensationalist reporting it’s no wonder journalism is no longer the highly regarded trade it once was.
In the old days, i.e. when people didn’t buy papers just to see Britney Spears get out of a car sans underwear, journalists worked to keep government, parastatals and businesses honest.
In fact an involved and informed Fourth Estate (the media) is seen as a necessary component of any functioning democracy. By holding people accountable for their actions, the media is able to exert pressure on those in positions of power to behave with integrity. Of course, in order for this to be a legitimate and effective role, journalists need to adhere to certain ethics. They can’t, for example, take bribes, report just one side of a story, or allow their own prejudices to interfere with the facts of a story. Read more…
0 comments // Journalism | Our Work
How SEO is not changing journalism
By Richard Frank // January 27, 2010
In response to Roy’s blog post last week about how SEO is changing journalism, I’d like to offer another perspective.
Although journalists are now trying to bend their grammar and style to maximise the SEO potential of their posts, they shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the actual content matters.
Although short-term gains can be won by writing a clever, SEO-friendly title and first paragraph, the real gains come when people actually link to the content. And people only link to the content if they find it valuable and think that other people will find it valuable.
Read more…
cape town tourism launches media mini-site
By Juliet King // December 02, 2009
Cape Town Tourism – the City of Cape Town’s official regional tourism organisation – is proud to launch its media mini-site.
The user-friendly site is designed to help members of the local and international media in the publication of Cape Town-related articles.
Read more…Love ain’t nothing but a number
By Nikolai Viedge // October 04, 2009
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” The famous speech by John F Kennedy sums up exactly what I believe every single South African should be asking themselves right now. Read more…
Latest WITSReview is published
October 15, 2008
Flow Communications has once again contributed to Wits University’s quarterly alumni magazine, the WITSReview, with feature articles and columns, photographs and cartoons.
Read more…
