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About the webinar
The COVID-19 pandemic turned South African newsrooms upside down. The health beat, once a niche that few editors prioritised was now the biggest story on the planet. Then, the dizzying scale of the outbreak and its impact on people’s everyday lives raised the stakes of everyday reporting as the demand for evidence-based information increased.
But how did journalists and media houses balance the ramped up demand for news while battling the industry’s long standing struggle against disappearing advertising revenue and shrinking staff?
We’ve invited a handful of seasoned media professionals to find out what it’s like on the COVID frontlines, how they navigate their way through our vaccine roll-out and what they’ve learnt while hounding the ever-evasive national health department for information.
Plus, we’ll take a look at the impact of corruption stories (think Digital Vibes scandal) on the government’s ability to communicate with the public. And, when the state does inform the public – do people believe it?
For the media nerds, our panellists will also discuss how COVID has changed the business of journalism and gave rise to innovative new story formats.
Curious about who’ll be there?
Bhekisisa’s editor-in-chief Mia Malan will moderate a panel, which will include the following names you might recognise from this past year’s COVID coverage:
