A new vision for Nat Nakasa 2020 – We need your assistance

Noting the daily grind of reporters struggling to tell the Covid-19 story in various newsrooms around the country and noting journalists’ decision to go out on a limb to report – despite the dangers – the  Nat Nakasa judges, in consultation with SANEF, have decided that the story of 2020 is Covid-19 and that the media industry and journalists in South Africa as a whole should collectively be given the award.

Since the outbreak of the virus in the country, many editors in newsrooms around the country have faced daily challenges including difficult choices of assigning journalists to cover the COVID-19 stories, despite the risks. In equal measure journalists have stepped up to the challenge and have taken leave of the safety of their homes and work office space to roam the country searching for unique angles to tell COVID-19 related stories.

Our plan this year is to create a documentary of the incredible work that journalists have been doing.

SANEF thus wishes to encourage all newsroom to submit quality video clips of the work of courageous journalists in the field doing their reports on COVID-19.

We would like journalists, freelancers and editors to submit:

Video clips using smartphones and related video equipment reflecting the typical life of a reporter going out on a limb to bring stories back despite the remoteness of the communities, the difficulties of telling the stories, the difficulties of lockdown, the daily exhaustion, the mental fatigue, the danger of infection and harassment from security authorities.

All media houses – public, private and community as well as freelancers – are invited to record and capture these video clips of the mood in the newsrooms and journalists out on assignment to creatively portray their news coverage of the crisis. Please submit the clips to [email protected]

It is important to note that the video will of course be a sample of work to illustrate the spread of the award.

SANEF will appoint a video production company to edit the clips and create a collage representing the South African coverage of the virus across the length and breadth of the country.

Further details will be provided soon.

please click here for more on the Nat Nakasa Award : https://sanef.org.za/nat-nakasa/