Telkom-Highway Africa Awards

Port Elizabeth-based jazz band Centre Stage put on a show for the delegates at the Telkom Awards gala dinner on the concluding night of this year’s Highway Africa conference. Photo: Alexa Sedgwick

Last night the 17th annual Highway Africa ended on a few jazzy notes, with awards, speeches, good food and entertainment filling the brisk  air around the Settler’s Monument in Grahamstown, South Africa.

To read about the awards, recipients, and for pictures of the night, please download Open Source newspaper edition 3 here.

You can also download older editions of Open Source from our website

Good bye Highway Africans, see you next year!

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Speaker profile: Dr Julie Reid

Dr Julie Reid is a lecturer and academic in media studies at the University of South Africa (UNISA). When she’s not defending citizens’ rights to information and media freedom, she’s lecturing, or learning to ride her new motorcycle.

Buzzing about data journalism

Currently data journalism has South African newsrooms (and Highway Africa delegates) abuzz about new possibilities. Dr Peter Verweij spoke about the opportunities and importance of data journalism specifically in South Africa.
In case you missed it, here is Verweij’s speech, brought to you by Elna Schütz.

Speaker profile: Indra De Lanerolle

At this year’s Highway Africa there is a lot of discussion around new media and its possibilities. Speaker Indra De Lanerolle has extensive experience in internet and mobile communications, focusing specifically on the effect they have on the mass media.
He speaks to Elna Schütz about what telecommunications mean for journalists and their audiences.

SABC policy review

Graham Welch, the General Manager for Editorial Policy at the SABC, held a workshop to discuss the long-overdue changes in policy being negotiated currently.
With a series of stakeholder meetings behind them, Welch’s team will start holding public hearings till November, which will result in a draft. The public is encouraged to comment on this, and the final policies should be put into place around 2014/5.
The editorial policies apply to all branches within the SABC including television and radio. They span issues such as language, universal access, local content and religious programming.
Welch spoke to Elna Schütz about why a strong editorial policy is critically important, yet no magic bullet. Although the SABC policy should be renewed every 5 years, the last review was in 2003.