JOURNALISM
AND RADIO/TV PLACEMENTS IN NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES AND RADIO
Observe experts in Journalism and learn how
they work in
South Africa. These Work Experience placements aim to give you maximum
benefit and experience. The experience you gain
will be invaluable to you in the future and totally different to what
you're used to in your home country.
We have three very different
types of journalism work experience placements in South Africa, something to
suit everyone's requirements and preferences. All our journalism placements
offer the opportunity to observe, learn and gain excellent experience.
The Cape Times, a large daily newspaper in
the heart of bustling Cape Town.
The Big Issue, a monthly features magazine sold in Cape Town,
Johannesburg and Durban.
CCFM, a Christian Radio Stationbased in Muizenberg, a suburb of Cape Town
"The staff were very friendly
and it was a really pleasant environment to work in. I have kept in touch
with them and am continuing to write for them here in England, and they
are continuing to publish my work in South Africa. The placement has given me experience that
would have been very difficult to arrange with a similar-sized publication
here in the UK, particularly as I lack any background in journalism.
Therefore, it has given me a foot in the door of an industry that would
have been relatively inaccessible to me previously. I have now got the
confidence that I can succeed in the profession and have already started
freelance work for different publications in the UK, in addition to
articles still being published in South Africa. Cape Town was a fabulous place to do this
placement ..."
.
Handing over a donation from Travellers to the Big
Issue for the Homeless World Cup
Cape Town at night, viewed from across the harbour
The Cape
Times, a daily city newspaper
Cape Town is the third biggest tourist destination in the world today
and has a daily newspaper to match - The Cape Times.It is the oldest,
continuously published, newspaper in South Africa (founded in 1876) and
is a sister newspaper of the oldest title, the Cape Argus (founded in
1857). The
offices are situated at the heart of the bustling city, only a short
walk away from the magical Gardens, where you can enjoy your lunch hour
under the whispering trees and hand-feed squirrels scampering past…
truly idyllic.
Readership is mostly drawn from the middle to upper income
brackets, and the bulk of readers are in the Cape Town metropolitan
area, which has a population of around 4million. The demographics of
readership closely mirror the demographics of the Western Cape.
The Times does not do ‘infotainment’, celebrity news (unless
they are really naughty), tabloid journalism or other cheap shots like
vox pops surveys on trivial issues. They take readers, and the news,
seriously, and the “Opinion and Letters” pages are highly contested
terrain, where intense public debates on issues like affirmative action,
globalisation, racism, HIV/Aids, the Middle East conflict, the war in
Iraq, Zimbabwe and other topical issues are fought out, with some of
South Africa and the world's heavy hitters writing for the paper.
The Cape Times has a long and proud liberal-left tradition of
journalism and was a vocal and much-hated enemy of the apartheid
regime. It continues this tradition today and maintains an editorial
stance that is fiercely independent of government, political parties,
big business and other pressure groups. With a strong tradition of
environmental campaigning, it has also become a leading voice in
debates around issues like climate change.
The paper has a small, compact News Room (10 full time news
reporters) with a friendly, comradely atmosphere. The more seasoned
journalists and photographers are always willing to share contacts and
background information with visiting students, interns and journalists.
At various times of the year, they host visiting journalists from
Germany and the Netherlands, journalism masters' students from the
University of Southern California, graduate students from North Western
University (Medill) and undergraduates from Emory University in Atlanta,
Georgia.
The first edition
goes off screen at about 9pm, and the second edition off screen at
midnight (or later if a big story is breaking.) The night shift
reporter(s) work from 3.30pm through until the paper goes to bed.
An international
driver’s license would be a big advantage as The Times has pool cars
that are used by interns to go out on assignments and to get stories.
They will not have people to drive you around. If you go on the
placement with out a license it will mean that most of your work will be
deskbound, unless you go out with someone else on a story. Taxis may be
used but this will be at your own expense, as public transport in Cape
Town and South Africa generally does not cover all areas.
You'll
usually work the hours to suit you within the placement, but your
typical working day could look like this:
09:00 – 10:00 -
Morning coffee, read morning newspapers and wires and set up
interviews
10:00 – 11:00 -
Attend the news room planning conference where you have to sell your
own story ideas to the news editor and all other ideas will be
discussed.
11.00 – 18:00 -
Early page deadlines from 3:30pm. Then you’ll spend the rest of the
day working on your stories for the next day.
You may have to work till about 18:30 or later if an
exceptional case/story occurs.
There could be variations of this schedule as the Times
may want you to start earlier to finish later. As an approximate
outline you will generally be working Sunday to Thursday so your weekend
will be Friday and Saturday.
Neither we, nor the organisation you will be working for, can guarantee
the amount of work that will be available for you during your placement.
You should understand that, as with any business organisation, the
quantity of work available will vary according to external factors (e.g.
number of stories, breaking news, or other factors relevant to the type
of organisation, etc.)
Good for your CV? Yes! Andrew McGlashen did a journalism Work Experience placement in the
Sports Department of the Cape Argus. The result was ... "Thought I would you know at Travellers that I
have got the job in London that you heard about on the grapevine. It's
working for a major cricket website called Cricinfo [http://www.cricinfo.com/] based in Shepherd's
Bush. They were very impressed with what I had done in Cape Town so I owe
many thanks to you all for organising my placement."
“I enjoyed it very much as I was allowed
to write as I wanted.” Andrew
Maxwell
"[I gained] Experience of the
workings of a newspaper and journalism, which was a completely new field
for me. Equally important was that I gained evidence – through published
articles – of the standard of my work and the position I had held – i.e.
sports writer. Also, I gained experience of working in a different
culture, country and work environment."Tim
Newnes
The Big Issue
The Big
Issue is described as a general interest monthly magazine. It has also
been described as a sugar coated bitter pill – it confronts, it
challenges, it attempts to uncover, it tries to break down fixed
paradigms, and bring readers along with it on a journey of discovery. It
aims to show the real issues facing South Africa.
The magazine
also aims to entertain and, with its alternative and younger focused
arts section, it attracts readers from a broad spectrum of society.
With the
Big Issue, you will be working with the editorial team, helping
research and produce the articles for the magazine. They also accept
people who would like some experience in layout and design. Again this is
a placement where you need to show motivation, skill and action. At risk
of using the old cliché “What you put in is what you get out!”
The uniqueness of The Big Issue: This
magazine is sold through vendors who are poverty-stricken, usually street
kids or homeless people. Vendors buy the magazine for R3.50 and sell it
for R6.50, keeping the difference. But there is more to this Magazine - it
has a substantial social support programme for its vendors including
alcohol/drug support meetings, computer, art and literacy classes, job
club and assistance with finding accommodation. There are currently 2,524
vendors - 1,928 men and 596 women. Most are homeless, living in vulnerable
accommodation or long-term unemployed. There are approximately 250 vendors
selling the magazine on a regular basis
When The Big Issue hit the streets of South
Africa on December 1996, the first copy was sold to the Minister of Social
Welfare and Population Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi. It is a monthly
publication selling 15,000 copies every edition.
“Catherine is doing
exceptional work - I think she's shown the other interns and staff writers
how things should really be done. Since she's started here she's done more
work than most interns do in two or three months, and to a much higher
quality. The timing is perfect since we're working on our November issue
(100th issue, 100 pages) and there's a lot more work than usual to do. I
only wish she could stay longer...”
The editor of the Big Issue, commenting on Travellers Volunteer Catherine
Boal.
Read an
article written by Travellers volunteer Jennie Hopkinson
(pictured at the top of this page) and
published in the Big Issue
Travellers volunteer Andrew Gibson at work
at the Big Issue
CCFM, a local Radio Station
CCFM
is a local radio station located in Muizenberg, a lovely suburb on the
Indian Ocean side of Cape Town and about 3/4 hour by train from the centre
of the City. It is famous for its wonderful stretch of white, sandy beach,
warm waters and surfing, and and also for area on the beach called the
Snake Pit where people congregate to socialise and suntan. The Snake Pit
is surrounded by very colourful beach huts and is a feature.
This is a 24-hour radio
station with approx. 220,000 listeners. If you are capable of
broadcasting, you will be asked to take on such features as presenting the
news, etc. One of the advantages of working in a small local radio
station is that you get to observe and learn about all aspects of
broadcasting, from being on air to collecting news to running the station.
CCFM radio station is religious in flavour
and this should be borne in mind.
Muizenberg is quiet town that comes
alive in the summer with day-trippers to the beach. During the winter it
is much more peaceful and serene. There aren't any clubs and the town does
tend to close down at night, so if you're the type of person who can
happily laze back during quiet evenings, you'll be well suited for this
placement. Muizenberg is on the main railway line to Cape Town (takes
about 45 minutes) and the Cape Town station is right in the centre of
town, very modern and well positioned.
Beach huts at Muizenberg
Accommodation and Living in Cape Town
A ten
minute walk from the centre of the bustling Cape Town CBD is the quieter, more
chilled out area of Green Point. Here we use St Johns Waterfront Lodge, one of
the better known backpackers’ lodges for your accommodation. It is not only
close to the city, but also to the famous V&A Waterfront (5 min walk) and
literally a hop, skip and jump away from the ocean. Among a host of other
activities, from here you can visit the world-famous Robben Island by boat,
where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for 27 years!
Apart
from other Travellers volunteers, this hostel mainly attracts international
travellers to Cape Town. It is uniquely built on two plots so literally has two
of everything, including two pools! They are very friendly and will always help
you where needed. They can answer any questions or can even help when you need
some TLC because you feel a bit homesick!
The
Main Lodge is the centre of all the lodges and is a meeting point for everyone.
You can discuss your day in the living room, have a nice chat out on the
terrace, go for a swim, watch a movie, etc. Included in the placement cost is a
bed in one of the large 8-bed dormitories, so you will be sharing. However,
there is an option of choosing a single or double room if you are happy to pay
the difference, but we do find that volunteers staying in the larger dormitories
tend to make friends easier and be a bit more social. Remember, safety by
numbers is always the most responsible way to do things!
This
lodge has a living room, lots of bathrooms and a two well-equipped kitchens. It
also has a lovely big (recently renovated) living area with satellite TV, a cosy
bar and very comfy couches. In the main outdoor area, there are two pools, the
braai (South African for BBQ) area and lots of tables and benches in the
beautiful garden. There is a payphone inside the main lounge and a FREE internet
service. St John’s has also recently fitted a CCTV security system, so you can
live with peace of mind, knowing that you are safe and sound.
Food: You will be
given a food allowance to buy your own food from the big supermarket up the
road. The lodge is equipped with a kitchen with a fridge, stove, oven and
microwave, and all the necessities to cook a good meal.
To also assist you during your time with
us in South Africa, we have included the web-link for Pick and Pay a major
Supermarket in South Africa, by logging on to:
You have the
option to arrange your own flights or we can assist you with your flight
arrangements. If you would like us to do this for you, we will liaise with
you regarding available flights and dates to suit you. All arrangements
for your flight bookings/payments will be fulfilled by Murray Rogers
Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.) Where possible, we
arrange for two or more people to travel on the same flight and we will
let you have the names and telephone numbers of other volunteers on your
flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up before leaving
for your placement.
We can also
arrange your flight dates to give you additional time at the end of your
project for travelling around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and
wondrous country!
Where possible,
all flights we arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many
of our volunteers choose to extend their stay once they are in their
destination country. Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within
the limits of your visa and the level of your air ticket, of course. If
you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour to get a
changeable ticket. We meet you at the airport regardless of whether you
make your own travel arrangements or not.
Aerial photo of Cape Town
You will fly directly into Cape Town where you'll be met by our Cape
Town Manager, Roger King. He'll take you to your accommodation and see
that you're settled in. He will also take you to your work and
introduce you to everyone. If you're placed at the George & Knysna Herald,
you'll fly directly into George where you'll be met at the airport by Bill
Fussell, our South Africa Manager.
VISAS:. We'll send you all the necessary forms and
information and make the process very easy for you.
To read about our extensiveSupport & Backup,
please click here.
VISAS:. In countries
where visas are required, we'll send you all the necessary forms and
information and make the process very easy for you.
PRICES
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in South Africa, please
click here
Prices
include
Food & accommodation while on your project,
unless otherwise stated,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
