Inside the newsroom…

ABOUT NISA

Nisa has twenty years’ experience in the media industry, working in radio and television. She has managed several newsrooms and has trained and mentored some of the best in the industry.

Twenty years ago, I was an intern, working in a newsroom for the first time. Throughout my studies I had my heart set on a placement at one specific company, as I believed that it would give me the best training and mentoring needed to be successful in my chosen craft. That newsroom was run by Primedia Broadcasting.

My internship offered more than insights into the industry. It took me places I had never imagined and gave me a front seat as news and history unfolded in our country. I was welcomed by a team of intelligent, kind, nurturing journalists, many of whom have become lifelong friends. But more than anything else, it set a foundation for a career and a management style that has allowed me to pay it forward and now I can do it again, in the same place where it all started.

While unique in their brands and people, there are common threads that run through newsrooms in South Africa. And boy, have they been tested as we live through unprecedented times with COVID-19. Resources are scarce. They have been for some time. But journalists have, by their sheer determination, become resourceful, uncovering creative ways of delivering to their audience without skimping on quality. There’s a never-ending balancing act of stories versus human capital. Selection becomes easier with a clear editorial strategy and a thorough understanding of who your market is. Ultimately, it’s about providing content that listeners or consumers can relate to, content that informs but also entertains.

Many would argue that there’s been little by means of entertainment over the past two years as South Africans including journalists were confronted by their own fears and concerns around the pandemic. For reporters, there was, and is the added responsibility to provide true facts amid a storm of misinformation and conspiracy theories. I remember monitoring the first cases in China, aware that it would only be a matter of time until the virus had reached our shores. As government’s management of the crisis evolves, so too does the science around each variant, the medical treatment and the debates. The reliance on trusted news sources to keep abreast of the ever-evolving status quo is great. As an industry, we can never underestimate the role we play in our democracy and the responsibility we have communicating to so many people at any given time. We continue to drive toward a common national purpose to save lives, save the economy and for those lucky enough, return to a new semblance of life.