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Sustainability & Media Relief Fund 1

Invitation to Apply to SANEF’s Relief Fund – 3rd Round

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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) would like to invite journalists struggling as a result of the Covid crisis to apply for the third round of the Media Relief Fund. We encourage all freelancers, contract journalists, reporters, photographers and production staff in multimedia, print and broadcast who have lost their jobs and income to submit their applications with all relevant and supporting documentation.

This third round is open to those who also received funding in the first and second round but still find themselves jobless.

Please see a link to the application form here

Working in conjunction with the Social Justice Initiative (SJI), we wish to report that in our first and 2nd rounds we received 700 applications and approved 249 journalists for payments. Journalists received a small donation of R5000 each to purchase necessities like food, clothing and airtime. So far SANEF has paid a total of R1,245,000.

SANEF is calling on everyone to spread the word, especially to journalists who lost their jobs in the hard-hit community media sector including print and broadcasting.

SANEF wants to warmly thank all those who donated including its corporates, donors and individual partners. Collectively we have raised a total of R4 870 067. We received our first donation to kick-start the fund from MTN South Africa. This was followed by funds from FNB Accounts (First Rand), Yellowwoods NPC, Allan Gray (Pty) Ltd, Arch Thabo Makgoba Development Trust, OSF – SA, Standard Bank, and Old Mutual. We have also received donations from concerned individuals, including several journalists and ex-journalists who have been very worried about the plight of their colleagues.

Further, we would like to thank our team of industry stalwarts who have made up our independent panel of adjudicators – including Mathatha Tsedu, Joe Thloloe, Wandile Fana and Melody Emmett as well as Anlo Financial Services. The panel has played a critical role in adjudicating all applications.

Please note the deadline is 8 January 2021.

Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.

For more information please contact:

  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Chairperson (073) 404-1415
  • Adriaan Basson – SANEF Deputy Chairperson (082) 562-2113
  • Mahlatse Mahlase – Secretary General (083) 399-2852
  • Nwabisa Makunga – Treasurer (082) 555-1972
  • Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Asanda Ngoasheng – Western Cape Convenor – 082 610 9374
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Gauteng Convenor (082) 805-7022
  • Chiara Carter – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (082) 659-9162
  • Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404

 

Sustainability & Media Relief Fund 1

Urgent Deadline for SANEF Media Relief Fund – Round Two

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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) would like to remind journalists that the deadline for applications to our Media Relief Fund is Wednesday 30 September 2020. We encourage all journalists who have lost their jobs and income as a direct result of the Covid-19 national disaster to submit their applications with all relevant and supporting documentation.

Working in conjunction with the Social Justice Initiative (SJI), we wish to report that in our first round, we received 320 applications and approved 227 journalists for payments. Journalists received a small donation of R5000 each to purchase necessities like food and clothing.

SANEF opened the second round for deserving journalists on 8 September calling on everyone to spread the word, especially to journalists who lost their jobs in the hard-hit community media sector including print and broadcasting.

In terms of the criteria we have called for the following people to apply:

Practising journalists who have not received retrenchment packages, freelance or contract journalists. People need to have been retrenched or had their contracts cancelled from the date of the implementation of the national lockdown on March 26th 2020 – or thereafter – as a result of COVID-19. Photographers, print, broadcast and multimedia journalists are all included.

Please see a link to the application form here.

SANEF wants to warmly thank its corporate, donor and individual partners on this project. We received our first donation to kick-start the fund from MTN South Africa. This was followed by funds from First Rand, Yellow Woods, Allan Gray, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Open Society Foundation and Old Mutual. We have also received donations from concerned individuals, including several journalists and ex-journalists who have been worried about the plight of their colleagues. We have raised an over little R3 million so far.

Further, we would like to thank our team of industry stalwarts who have made up our independent panel of adjudicators – including Mathatha Tsedu, Joe Thloloe, Wandile Fana and Melody Emmett as well as Anlo Financial Services. The panel has played a critical role in adjudicating all applications and Anlo has played an important role in the initial processing of all documentation.

We again remind everyone that the deadline is 30 September.

Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.

For more information please contact:

  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Chairperson (073) 404-1415
  • Adriaan Basson – SANEF Deputy Chairperson (082) 562-2113
  • Mahlatse Mahlase – Secretary-General (083) 399-2852
  • Nwabisa Makunga – Treasurer (082) 555-1972
  • Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Gauteng Convenor (082) 805-7022
  • Chiara Carter – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (082) 659-9162
  • Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404

 

Sustainability & Media Relief Fund 1

SANEF Announces Launch Of Relief Fund For Journalists

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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is launching a relief fund for journalists who have lost their livelihoods as a direct result of the COVID-19 national disaster. The Social Justice Initiative (SJI) is acting as a fiscal host for the fund and will be playing an oversight role to ensure that all funds are fairly and transparently distributed.

Mahlatse Mahlase, SANEF’s chairperson says, “In making the announcement today, we want to express our warm gratitude to MTN SA for their contribution of R500 000 to start the fund and for their further commitment to lobby other corporates to contribute”.

To process the applications, SANEF has set up a team that includes media stalwarts Mathatha Tsedu and Joe Thloloe, Wandile Fana from the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) and Melody Emmett from the freelancers’ association (SAFREA). Anlo Financial Solutions, a financial services company will assist with processing.

Executive: Corporate Affairs at MTN South Africa, Jacqui O’Sullivan, says all South Africans owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the reporters and editors who have braved harsh conditions every day to provide invaluable information that is helping save lives.

“In MTN’s view, it is now imperative that the private sector steps in to offer financial assistance to ensure quality reporting standards can be maintained across digital, broadcast and print media platforms. To ensure communication channels remain open and the public gets the information it can trust, MTN is proud to partner with SANEF to begin offering financial support and aid through a targeted relief fund for journalists.”

However, she adds that this is just the first step and “far more” needs to be done, which is why MTN is encouraging all large corporates, companies in supply chains, clients and individuals who can, to step up and help by contributing to this fund.

The purpose of the funding is to assist those in dire need with a small donation to purchase necessities like food and clothing. Only freelance, contract or permanently employed journalists who have been retrenched or had their contracts cancelled since the implementation of the national lockdown on 26 March 2020, will be eligible to apply.

This announcement fulfils the promise we made to establish a fund – a promise we made when we launched our “COVID19 Impact on Journalism” Report in June 2020.

The report points to the devastation that COVID has wreaked on the industry – particularly the print media with the closure of two magazine publishers and 80 small print publications operating across the country, leading to the loss of over 700 journalist jobs. Also, the report pointed to the fact that freelancers had been particularly badly impacted and that 60% of their members had lost almost 70% of their income – and that some had lost 80% to 100%.

SANEF is keenly aware of the fact that many industries are experiencing tough times and that salary cuts and retrenchments have become an ever-present reality. But what is particularly worrying is that with the media industry plays a powerful, democracy-deepening role in society – this is in terms of ensuring a free flow of information in society to keep citizens informed and to hold the powerful to account, both in terms of government and the private sector. We are thus worried that the collapse of the media in small towns, and the shrinking of the industry as a whole, will have a devastating long-term effect on the health of our democracy.

This fund is, therefore, a small first step to assist the industry and thus ultimately to assist all citizens to get the information they need.

We want to again express our gratitude to all who have assisted SANEF to establish the fund. We are hoping that the first phase will allow us to offer emergency relief to journalists. However, if we find further funding, we hope to support other projects to assist the sustainability of small, independent media institutions across the country, through a variety of targeted interventions.

If you wish to contribute to the fund, kindly contact [email protected] and we will send you the details. Alternative arrangements are being made to enable individuals to quickly contribute on a safe, stable and reliable platform. We will announce this soon.

Please find a link to the application form here. 

If you would like to donate to the SANEF Media Relief Fund, please click here

Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.

For more information please contact:

  • Mahlatse Mahlase – SANEF Chairperson, (083) 399-2852
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Deputy Chairperson (082) 805-7022
  • Moipone Malefane – SANEF Secretary General (082) 772-5861
  • Adriaan Basson – SANEF Treasurer – 082 562 2113
  • Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (073) 404-1415
  • Janet Heard – SANEF Western Cape Convenor, (078) 041-9528
  • Hopewell Radebe – SANEF Gauteng Convenor (083) 582-1734
  • Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404

 

Socials

Twitter: @SAEditorsForum

Email: [email protected]

Website: SANEF

Sustainability & Media Relief Fund 1

Applications For Emergency Funding For Journalists In Distress Due To Covid-19 National Disaster

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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) in conjunction with the Social Justice Initiative (SJI) is inviting applications for emergency funding for journalists who have lost their livelihoods as a direct result of the Covid-19 national disaster.

SANEF has received limited donations from MTN South Africa for journalists in crisis to distribute as emergency funding in this time of need.

SANEF has set up a team of industry stalwarts including representatives from the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) and the freelancers’ association (SAFREA) to process the applications.

Only freelance, contract or permanently employed journalists, including multimedia journalists who have been retrenched or had their contracts cancelled since the implementation of the national lockdown on 26 March 2020 are eligible to apply for emergency funding. Click here to download the application form

The purpose of the funding is to assist those in dire need with a small donation of R5000 to purchase necessities like food and clothing.

The independent panel will adjudicate all applications and award a fixed amount to each applicant who qualifies for the once-off payment. The panel’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

The deadline for applications is Friday 17 July 2020.

For more information please contact:

  • Mahlatse Mahlase – SANEF Chairperson, (083) 399-2852
  • Katy Katopodis – SANEF Deputy Chairperson, (082) 805-7022
  • Moipone Malefane – SANEF Secretary-General (082) 772-5861
  • Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (073) 404-1415
  • Janet Heard – SANEF Western Cape Convenor (078) 041-9528
  • Hopewell Radebe – SANEF Gauteng Regional Convenor (083) 582-1734
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404

Socials

Twitter: @SAEditorsForum

Email: [email protected]

Website: SANEF