Image Credit: Satour
16 April 2024, Cape Town, South Africa – Daily Maverick, an independent South African-based news and investigative journalism publisher, has been honoured with four prestigious wins at the 2024 WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Africa. The awards recognise the outstanding contributions of African news publishers in service to their readers.
These latest accolades underscore Daily Maverick’s commitment to delivering impactful, credible journalism while catering to the ever-evolving needs of its audience. The awards serve as a testament to the dedication of the Daily Maverick team in creating compelling digital experiences that resonate with readers, garnering not only recognition but also setting new benchmarks for innovation and audience engagement in the digital media and news landscape.
Daily Maverick was awarded:
● Best News Website: Daily Maverick Website;
● Best Newsletter Project: “Money Cents”;
● Best Fact Checking Project: Daily Maverick Fact-Check; and
● Best use of AI in the Newsroom: Daily Maverick Article Summaries
Commenting on the awards, Daily Maverick editor-in-chief Branko Brkic said “Over years, Daily Maverick has become a gathering place of extraordinary talent. This latest WAN Ifra string of successes is but another jewel in our ever growing book of records.”
The wins at the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Africa 2024 cement Daily Maverick’s position as a trailblazer in the media and journalism landscape, setting the stage for continued innovation and excellence in pursuit of defending truth and ensuring that news and investigative journalism remain accessible to all South Africans.
Congratulations to all the winners for their remarkable achievements in digital media innovation and excellence.
ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact:
Saskia Falken
+27 82 326 9855
Founded in 2009, Daily Maverick is an independent national news and investigative journalism publisher.
Daily Maverick covers pressing issues across politics, business and the environment, providing in-depth reporting and insightful commentary on the topics affecting the lives of South Africans.
With 10 million unique browsers monthly, Daily Maverick is one of South Africa’s largest publishers and is available online and in a weekly print edition, DM168.
Its voluntary membership community programme is designed to keep journalism free for all, and it has a community of civic-minded readers who participate actively through contributions to ensure this access continues for all.
Founders: Branko Brkic, editor-in-chief, and Styli Charalambous, CEO.
The World Association of News Publishers is the global organisation of the world’s press. Its mission is to protect the rights of journalists and publishers around the world to operate independent media.
It provides its members with expertise and services to innovate and prosper in a digital world and perform their crucial role in society.
It derives its authority from its global network of 3,000 news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs, and its legitimacy from its 60 member publisher associations representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries. See more at wan-ifra.org.
Daily Maverick has shut down. For today, 15 April 2024.
The decision to do this was not taken lightly, but it was made in an attempt to highlight the global state of emergency in journalism.
This crisis in journalism affects South Africa’s democratic functioning and impacts the state of our economy. Journalism is experiencing a market failure and is at risk of collapse, with effects that will be catastrophic.
Newsrooms globally are closing down and retrenching journalists. In the last 15 years, it is estimated that South Africa has lost almost 70% of the news media workforce.
Journalists have been at the forefront of exposing State Capture by working with whistleblowers. Journalism has helped protect democratic institutions and informed the nation to make important decisions and take critical actions. Without the efforts of accountability journalism, our economy would be in much worse shape than it currently is.
Public interest journalism has contributed to removing numerous corrupt ministers and a corrupt President. Investigations have been the catalyst for retrieving billions of taxpayers’ rands by the State from perpetrators of corruption.
We consider it the ultimate privilege to deliver this public service.
However, there is a market failure in journalism. Incredible amounts of value are created for society, but the economics no longer work to support its production.
Advertising, which once sustained a large part of the industry, is now directed mostly to foreign-based technology platforms. And not enough readers are supporting our newsrooms to fund the size of newsrooms required to fulfil our public service mandate.
Unfortunately, most of the public and business community still don’t appreciate the full extent of the news media crisis. We have failed to communicate the severity of the crisis and the impact it will have on key institutions and our economic prospects.
Today’s shutdown aims to highlight what will happen if journalism does not receive the support it needs from the business community, the public and policymakers.
Journalism urgently needs financial support and policy reform to improve the environment in which it is asked to protect democracy and serve the public’s information needs.
Daily Maverick will return at 11:59 pm, 15 April 2024.
ENDS
About Daily Maverick
Founded in 2009, Daily Maverick is an independent national news and investigative journalism publisher.
Daily Maverick covers pressing issues across politics, business, and the environment, providing in-depth reporting and insightful commentary on the topics affecting the lives of South Africans.
With 10 million monthly unique browsers, Daily Maverick is one of South Africa’s largest publishers and is available online and in a weekly print edition, DM168.
Founders: Branko Brkic, Editor-in-chief and Styli Charalambous, CEO.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Saskia Falken
+27 82 326 9855
FAQs
We’ve so far failed to appropriately convey the urgency and severity of the crisis and its impact on society. Many data points support how bad the crisis is, but it’s not clear to enough people how it impacts democracy and our ability to revive our struggling economy.
Democracy decays quickly when journalism dies, which allows poor governance and corruption to drain the economy beyond repair. Big problems need bold solutions, and we need to communicate the message at scale.
We have tried to inform readers and business leaders about the state of the crumbling journalism sector and suggest policy changes to the government. It hasn’t worked.
We needed to do something we have never done since we launched in 2009—something drastic enough to highlight the crisis to the public. Shutting down Daily Maverick is not something we ever wanted to do, but our effort today is in the hope that we will never have to do it again.
Before the pandemic, job losses were estimated at 50%. Since then, there have been more closures and retrenchments, which could mean up to 70% of our colleagues have left journalism since 2009.
We only need to see how quickly our democratic institutions have declined in lockstep with journalism and how our economy has lagged behind other African countries.
Local metro news has been especially hard hit, now barely existent, and one only needs to review the state of our cities to see how service delivery failure is enabled by zero accountability journalism.
Not yet. Will the industry has suffered through massive disruption, Daily Maverick has never had to retrench any staff. However, we cannot expand our newsroom to counter the effects of other newsrooms’ losses.
There are entire regions in South Africa with little to no editorial coverage. That means there are municipalities throughout the country with absolutely no independent accountability measures. The job that local newspapers should have been doing to report on local institutions has been destroyed.
This shutdown is not about Daily Maverick; it’s about every legitimate newsroom in the country that needs public and corporate support.
We hope that today’s shutdown will highlight the role journalism plays and the value it delivers in South Africa. As a public service, journalism has been instrumental in exposing State Capture, removing corrupt officials, and retrieving billions of rands for the State.
Democracy cannot survive without journalism; good journalism is good for business. Our website lists ways individuals and businesses can support us and the journalism community. We hope today’s effort sparks more conversations and, importantly, action.
Aside from direct financial support from the public and the business sector, we need to improve the environment in which journalism operates by enacting legislative support and incentives. Journalism is a public good that benefits all of society and should be supported and funded, in part, through subsidies, incentives and rebates.
Legal and tax incentives to bolster journalism, such as VAT exemptions on reader revenue contributions — be it a paywall or a membership model like ours. Public contributions to news media should be tax deductible.
Advertising rebates to make it more appealing for businesses to advertise on news media sites. Donations to news media could be tax-deductible, regardless of PBO status.
Considering the billions of rands of misappropriated funds the state has recovered through investigative journalism, another approach would be to allocate a percentage of the recovered funds to the whistleblowers and legitimate newsrooms that have worked to ensure this outcome.
Other legislative measures we could take are outlined here.
This is a global crisis, with many countries experiencing similar contractions to ours. However, it is much worse in the “Global South,” where the pandemic hit our economies and our news media harder than in more developed countries. The political environment also contributes negatively to the situation in many of these regions.
In South Africa, it is made worse by the effects of State Capture and how rogue owners have compromised some newsrooms.
If journalism collapses, South African democracy collapses.
Without journalism, corruption and crime will continue (and grow) completely unchecked. Municipalities will fail — even more. We’ve already seen roads explode, buildings burn, and water shortages and contamination following the electricity crisis.
Drivable roads and street lights will become fond memories, and businesses will struggle to survive the rising costs of a failed state. Taxes will increase to offset a shrinking revenue base, and a 1% GDP growth rate will be considered stellar.
There will be no accountability, mis- and disinformation will fill the void to catastrophic effects. The list is long and scary.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12 March 2024
Daily Maverick’s The Gathering: 2024 Tickets Sold Out, Catch the Live Stream Free!
Cape Town, South Africa. [12 March 2024] – Daily Maverick’s highly anticipated event, The Gathering: Twenty Twenty-Four, scheduled for 14 March 2024 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, has officially sold out of all available tickets for the in-person experience.
With less than 24 hours to go, excitement is building for the most engaging, empowering and informed elections-focused event of the year. Before South Africans head to the polls on 29 May 2024, The Gathering promises to break down the political jargon, foster meaningful dialogue and encourage voter awareness before they make their mark.
If you don’t have a ticket to the physical event, don’t despair – Daily Maverick is pleased to be able to offer all South Africans access to the virtual experience for free.
The Gathering: Twenty Twenty-Four will be streamed live, providing a virtual alternative for individuals unable to secure tickets for the in-person event. This means all South Africans, regardless of their location or capacity to attend in person, have the opportunity to participate.
The event features an esteemed line-up of speakers, engaging panel discussions, activities and civic engagement.
The virtual event is a unique opportunity to connect with the community, submit questions and comments to our team and to panellists, explore Daily Maverick’s offerings, and take part in thought-provoking discussions from the comfort of your home or office.
To register for the virtual event and join these important discussions, visit https://events.dailymaverick.co.za/
All registrants will receive free access to the live stream and additional event information.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Saskia Falken
Email: [email protected]
About Daily Maverick:
Daily Maverick is an independent news and analysis platform committed to delivering high-quality journalism that serves as a catalyst for positive change. With a focus on in-depth reporting and insightful commentary, Daily Maverick tackles pressing issues across politics, business, science and society.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EXPERIENCE DAILY MAVERICK LIVE: THE GATHERING 2024 – GET READY TO MAKE YOUR MARK.
Cape Town, [08 February 2024] – With just 5 weeks to go until The Gathering: Twenty Twenty Four, Daily Maverick HQ is abuzz with preparations for our flagship event, scheduled for 14 March 2024 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
We are excited to announce that our team is securing an esteemed speaker lineup to ensure attendees, both in person and virtually, experience the most engaging, empowering, and informed elections-focused event of the year, ahead of South Africans heading to the polls.
Amidst the noise of political discourse, The Gathering offers a refreshing perspective, providing attendees with a seat at the table alongside political leaders and change agents. With over 800 seats already filled, anticipation is high for this exclusive event.
Hosted by Daily Maverick’s dynamic Rebecca Davis, along with our seasoned political analysts and experienced moderators, like Ferial Haffajee and Stephen Grootes, The Gathering 2024 aims to break down political jargon and foster meaningful dialogue. Confirmed speakers include:
From deciphering election intricacies to connecting with local and international change makers, attendees can expect a day filled with clarity, expertise, and engagement that drives solutions-focused discussions and encourages voter awareness & education.
In addition to thought-provoking discussions, The Gathering offers a unique opportunity for attendees to explore Daily Maverick, connect with fellow participants, and engage in activities throughout the day.
Whether in-person at the Cape Town International Convention Centre or joining remotely, The Gathering invites individuals from all walks of life to join a community dedicated to shaping the future of our nation.
Date: 14 March 2024
Location: Cape Town International Convention Centre
Time: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Event starts at: 9am
Tickets: R500
Join us at The Gathering 2024 and be part of the conversation that helps shape the future of South Africa. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/thegathering2024
Share the link with friends and family, and connect with us online to join the discussion.
ENDS
For media inquiries, please contact:
Fran Beighton/Nicole Williamson
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
About Daily Maverick:
Daily Maverick is an independent news and analysis platform committed to delivering high-quality journalism that serves as a catalyst for positive change. With a focus on in-depth reporting and insightful commentary, Daily Maverick tackles pressing issues across politics, business, science and society.
About Sponsor:
The Gathering Twenty Twenty Four is brought to you in partnership with Ninety One and supported by Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Pick n Pay asap! and Henley Business School.
Next to rolling blackouts, the youth unemployment crisis in South Africa is arguably the most critical challenge our country faces. The third Statistics SA quarterly labour survey of 2023 recorded a youth unemployment rate of 43,4%. The total number of unemployed youth (15 to 34 years) is 4,6 million.
Tackling youth unemployment requires more than reducing the unemployment rate; it necessitates aligning job opportunities with career aspirations and eliminating barriers to the transition between education and employment. These elements are crucial to realising the demographic dividend and maximising the role of youth in steering South Africa’s developmental future.
In an attempt to be part of the solution, we at Daily Maverick have chosen learning and job creation as one of our key editorial areas of focus.
We all know that finding a job is tough. Finding work that you love is even tougher. Here at Daily Maverick we are acutely aware of how difficult it is for young people to figure out what career paths fit their talents, interests and personalities.
We also know that there are so many mind-boggling work opportunities out there that knowing what training courses, learnerships or degrees to choose, can be a nightmare. We have all been there.
Heather Robertson, editor of DM168 says: “To help young people on their journey to finding their dream jobs, we published an A to Z Career Guide, including the practical, creative and professional sectors in the June 24 edition of our weekly newspaper, DM168. This guide also informed high school students of the courses they need to choose in Grade 9 and the grades they need to get for APS scores to be accepted into their chosen career paths. In addition, we interviewed and profiled people working in these various careers so that young people can get to know what the actual reality of the jobs entails.”
This entire database has now been converted into an online portal for anyone to access, anytime and free of charge.
Robertson says: “Thanks to the brilliance of our talented young deputy audience development manager, Sahra Heuwel, I am thrilled to announce that all this information has been made easily accessible on our website to anyone.”
The guide offers a one-stop destination for individuals seeking in-depth information about their desired careers. Whether you’re exploring career options, planning your educational journey, or contemplating a career switch, this guide provides the essential steps and resources needed for informed decision-making.
Key features include:
The database can be accessed via this link.
For interactive guidance, click here.
Are you a tech-savvy project manager who loves digital media and journalism? Do you have a passion for driving innovation and delivering impactful solutions? If yes, then we have an exciting opportunity for you!
Daily Maverick is a leading independent news platform in South Africa, known for its fearless and insightful reporting on politics, society and culture. We are looking for a Tech Project Manager to join our Product and Tech team and lead various tech projects that are essential to our digital news publishing operations.
As the Tech Project Manager, you will:
To be successful in this role you will need:
This is a remote position, but you can also work from our offices in Cape Town or Johannesburg. You will report to the Product Manager and work within the Product and Tech team.
What we offer:
– A remote-friendly, flexible work environment;
– Generous annual leave;
– Exposure to top talent in the industry and extensive learning opportunities; and
– A salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.
The position does not offer benefits such as health insurance or a retirement plan. Your remuneration will be based on cost-to-company.
Daily Maverick is committed to equality, employment equity and diversity. In accordance with employment equity goals and targets, preference may be given to candidates from designated groups.
If you are interested in joining our dynamic team, please send your CV and cover letter to [email protected] by 27 October 2023. Please include “Tech Project Manager” in the subject line.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Award-winning financial journalist Sikonathi Mantshantsha has joined Scorpio, the Investigative Unit of Daily Maverick, as of 1 July 2019. In addition, Mantshantsha will contribute to Business Maverick, one of the latest additions to Daily Maverick’s growing stable, which focuses on the business stories driving South African economic landscape.
Since 2016, Mantshantsha held the position of Deputy Editor at the Financial Mail. One of his many accolades includes the 2017 Sanlam Journalist of the Year Award.
Says Mantshantsha:
“It’s a great opportunity to be joining a start-up that has played a great part in SA journalism in the relatively short time it has been around. Daily Maverick has really punched above its weight, particularly exposing the many shenanigans of State Capture. I am privileged to be joining such an ambitious team.”
Business Maverick Editor Tim Cohen looks forward to working with Mantshantsha who will be a valuable member of the team.
Says Cohen:
“I’m delighted that Sikonathi will be joining the team, primarily as a member of the Scorpio team but helping out too on Business Maverick on an ad hoc basis. Sikonathi is widely recognised as an astute journalist and a bold voice in business journalism, and we at Business Maverick will be honoured to publish his work.
Since its launch in late 2009, Daily Maverick has seen steady growth in readership and influence. This year alone has seen the launch of two important divisions, Business Maverick and Maverick Life. Co-Founder Branko Brkic says their growth is attributed to Daily Maverick’s uncompromising approach to journalism.
Says Brkic:
Our mission is to Defend Truth in these difficult and testing times for our young democracy, with no fear or favour. Sikonathi is universally respected as a great journalist and fearless man and I personally very much look forward to working with him.
Daily Maverick’s innovative approach to media and their stance on defending the truth, no matter the cost, has gained them much respect among politicians, business leaders and the general public. It is this reputation that will continue to attract quality journalists within the media industry.
If you work in an African news organization and you’re exploring how to deepen relationships with your audience members, we hope you’ll join the Membership Puzzle Project and Daily Maverick for a workshop on audience engagement and membership models on Aug. 21 & 22, in Cape Town.
Journalism is evolving and membership models are helping news organisations improve through community building and generating revenue. This workshop will give you the inspiration, tools, and thought partners you need to begin and succeed at this work.
Who we are:
The Membership Puzzle Project is a public research project at New York University studying how to optimize a news organization for trust, primarily through membership in its many forms. They run the Membership in News Fund, which supports promising experiments in membership around the world. Daily Maverick is one of their grantees and together are hosting this workshop.
Daily Maverick is an independent news, analysis and investigative digital publisher based in South Africa. In August 2018, DM launched Maverick Insider, a membership program and less than a year later, have gained more than 6,500 paying members. DM has also launched new editorial products that have deepened their relationship with their readers.
What we have planned:
The agenda is a work in progress, but expect sessions on the following:
Costs
The workshop will begin at 9 a.m. on Aug. 21 and will conclude in the early afternoon on Aug. 22. Registration is free, although attendees will have to cover their travel costs and hotel accommodation. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Who can apply?
Registration is open to any staff member of an African news organization, but in order to make this a fairly hands-on workshop, we are planning to limit attendance to 60 people. We ask that each news organization send no more than two people.
It is our mutual belief that you do not have to be a startup or an organization with a membership program to find this workshop helpful. The skill of designing for community and getting closer to audience members will be beneficial for any news organization trying to figure out a sustainable business model in 2019.
Interested in joining us?
Register for the conference here. If you have any questions, please email Ariel at [email protected] and Fran Beighton at [email protected].
We will update this page in the coming weeks with additional logistical information, including hotel information, and a more detailed agenda. We’ll also e-mail that information to registered participants.
Looking forward to seeing you in Cape Town.
The Membership Puzzle Project and Daily Maverick
Thanks to all who participated in our Newsletter Referral Programme. The draw took place on Friday 17th May and the winners are:
* His and hers Bell&Ross watches: Sharon Adlem, Kelin Brak River
* 10X Investments R15,000 Unit Trust: Gary Purtell, Durban
Gary said of his participation in the Newsletter Referral Programme, “I wouldn’t have spread the news if I didn’t think Daily Maverick’s content was worth it!”
* R2,500 Book Hamper: Dhasagan Pillay, Johannesburg
Dhasagan was thrilled to hear he was a winner and said: “You guys are an awesome, awesome read.”
We appreciate the support from our readers so much. After all, we wouldn’t exist without you.
The Henley 3 year MBA is still – after 5 draws – looking for its owner. None of the 5 names that we drew were able to take up the MBA, so we’ll continue to draw names and update readers here.
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all our sponsors, partners and readers for helping us #spreadthenews.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has made the fight against corruption a priority and his commitment to establishing a directorate within the National Prosecuting Authority aimed at dealing with corruption is a step in the right direction. What can big business do to work in tandem with government in the fight against corruption?
On 27 June, we will address the issues of fighting corruption and policy implementation for sustainable economic growth. “Business Against Corruption” will be a day for business leaders to discuss topics pivotal to corruption, ranging from fighting corruption at a government as well as private sector level, and the responsibility to create a safe space for whistleblowers, to name only a few.
“BLSA commits to putting its resources to such a cause because it is against corruption, malfeasance, fraud and state capture whether it is happening in public or private sector. That’s the reason why we decided to be part of this project – and hold corporate citizenries accountable” says BLSA CEO, Bonang Mohale.
10X Investments, the disruptive asset manager and event co-sponsor, welcomed Daily Maverick’s decision to turn the spotlight on to business after lifting the lid on state capture and other corrupt practices.
“Daily Maverick has done great work bringing corruption and dishonesty in the political sphere to the public’s attention. The authorities have had no choice but to start acting against perpetrators,” said Steven Nathan, 10X’s founder and chief executive officer. “I believe that business leaders should be held to the same high standards.”
Nathan added that while much corruption within government and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) had been exposed, people forget that it takes two to tango and that there are two sides to corruption. Now, more than ever it is crucial for business to become more vocal and play a proactive role in fighting corruption at all levels.
The event aims to help mobilise business to take a more proactive stance against corruption and to help build a stronger, more inclusive economy.
Speakers highlights include:
Minister Pravin Gordhan, Public Enterprises
Advocate Shamila Batohi, National Director of Public Prosecutions
Minister Ayanda Dlodlo, Department of Public Service and Administration (Invited)
Bonang Mohale, CEO, BLSA
Dr Achieng Ojwang, Executive Director: UN Global Compact Network
Advocate Andy Mothibi, Chief Executive and Head of the Special Investigations Unit
“This is an important event for Daily Maverick, as we have been committed to the continued fight against corruption. Scorpio, our investigative journalism arm was formed with the clear objective of bringing corruption cases to light. Our journalists work around the clock to ensure all leads are investigated thoroughly,” says Tim Cohen, editor of Business Maverick.
The event takes place on June 27 at Summer lace in Hyde Park. Only a limited amount of tickets are still available. Visit Quicket to book your ticket today.
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