Defend Truth
What I cover
Banks. Retail. Money, or the suspicious lack thereof. I like stories where numbers and real lives intertwine, and all the better if I can visualise that data.
My background
I have a BA Honours degree in Journalism from Stellenbosch University. There I won the Daily Maverick award for best-performing student. I’ve been the customer no one calls back. I’ve watched relatives nod through banking jargon they didn’t understand and sign anyway. I’ve seen money, and the lack of it, twist entire lives sideways. And that’s where my questions come from.
I’ve always been overly curious and have landed in trouble many times for saying exactly what I think. Little did that little girl know that these qualities would come to serve her later in life.
Journalistic ethics
I don’t think ethics are something you declare. They show up in the choices you make when no one is watching: in the story you don’t rush or the quote you choose to clarify.
I believe in fairness. I have a thing for double- and triple-checking my work – especially the boring stuff. I believe in protecting sources who take risks. I don’t believe in taking favours or flattery disguised as access.
I try to write like someone whose name will sit next to the story forever (because with the internet, it probably will). This means that sometimes I’ve had to kill pieces or adjust them completely because something doesn’t sit right. It also means asking more questions than I need to.
Ethical journalism, for me, is a habit of being meticulous (and a little bit suspicious) even when the deadline’s tight.
