INSIDE THE PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE - THE SUNDAY TIMES

In the dictionary the term, journalism is defined as: “the work of collecting and writing news stories for newspapers, magazines, radio, or television”. However in recent years the terms of what journalism is about and entails has evolved beyond the structures that form the bases of acquiring the story and reporting the story. Graham Greer, in his book; ‘a new introduction to JOURNALISM’, states: “Journalism is the profession or practice of reporting, about, photographing, or editing news stories for one of the mass media. [i.e. Internet, newspapers, radio, magazines, and television]” .The are a lot of facets to be considered before the requirements of a deadline are met and the final publication is distributed. To delve into these facets that make up one of the largest mediums in the canon of mass media, print media, I take a look inside, “THE PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE”, The Sunday Times.

The Sunday Times is one of, if not, thee largest paper in Southern Africa. It was first established in the year, 1906 and has evolved over the years to being the biggest national paper in the Southern hemisphere, including countries such as, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland.The Sunday Times is a weekly publication that consists of six publications that form one paper, including a magazine. The first editorials feature current affairs which include national and international political news, world news, and social news, entertainment and gossip columns. These editorials have the cover story and the title of the magazine, results for one of South Africa’s favorite pastime, the Lotto and a list of what is to follow inside. The second editorials are titled, ‘Insight & Opinion’, which carries personal accounts or narratives of prominent people and events on the first page, (reported by special reporters). Then obituaries and critical columns that feature politicians, doctors and the scholarly elite of South Africa’s academic society, it has opinions and views from the public and the editor’s viewpoint article, and my personal favourite, ‘Mampara of the Week’, that is followed by Sports News both national and international. The third editorials are titled, ‘Metro’, which feature all News reports around the city of Johannesburg and Gauteng, adverts of social events, (Drama, Theatre, Music ext.) under the title, ‘Entertainment’ with photographic reporting of social gatherings. The page titled, ‘Good Morning’, leaves a tingle in your taste buds, with a savvy on the best cuisine in and around Jo’burg’s finest restaurants where all the restaurants are critically rated on their customer service and food expertise. The back page features an interview with South Africa’s who’s who, from mass media to sporting activities. The fourth editorials are, ‘Lifestyle’, which covers the best holiday destinations both abroad and locally. It has a special report, in-depth article from any form of entertainment, be it fashion, films, new trends or music. It gives more attention to publications, biographies, and autobiographies, book fares, writers and the arts. Inside the publication you also get international news and current affairs, in the form of: ‘The New York Times’. Last but not least you get the ‘Business Times’, which feature corporate reports, careers, money ( JSE, Investments, Stock ext.) and articles for upcoming businesses called, ‘It’s My Business’. And also not forgetting the ‘Magazine’ with columns from one of South Africa’s best reviewer and columnist critic in the film industry, Barry Ronge and also provides the nation with a weekly TV guide. (www.sundaytime.co.za)

This year, the Sunday Times celebrated its centenary with an overwhelming number of about, 504 657, average sales per week and an estimated, 3.24-million readership. Cementing its long standing as Avusa Media's (previously Johnnic Publishing's) proudest offspring and rising luminary in the print media world. Over the past hundred years the Sunday Times has bare witness to humanitarian reports, political turmoil, assassinations of prominent leaders, World Wars, racism, natural disasters, revolutions, antisemitism, murders, rapes, sports, fashion, music, euthanasia, terrorism, tribalism, voyeurism and the outbreak of HIV/Aids. (www.sundaytimes.co.za)

The Sunday Times, as a witness to South Africa’s microcosms has managed to flourish under the previous regime of the apartheid government rulers, who jerked the shackles with an iron fist of the National Party through censorship. It survived propaganda, segregation, massacres and the unfair treatment of the natives of the land, when white supremacy reigned and miscegenation ideals were a blasphemous notion in the tongues of the tyrannical administration. Those who wished for freedom and democracy were imputed of terrorism, communism, (Marxist idealism) and sabotage and were sent away to Robben Island or other correctional, ‘dungeons’, renowned for their interrogation tactics, (i.e. Sun City prison). (www.sundaytimes.co.za)

The photographic archives of the Sunday Times, is the home of the best artistic photo journalism the world has ever seen. As a wise man once said: “A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS”, from the epoch of its birth the paper depicted a strong sense of fairness and diplomatic reporting to foreign countries, with a splendour of journalist dignity, proximity, timeliness, prominence, novelty, conflict, human interest, topicality, eyewitness and sex, ( ‘Elements of news value’: a new introduction to JOURNALISM, p.19). The photographic images, together with textual articles played a formidable part in defining the ethical value of the Sunday Times and have since catapulted the paper to its well known slogan, “THE PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE”.

The Sunday Times employs close to three thousand journalists, both locally and internationally, with a largest percentage of journalists, ranging from, Beat reporters, General Assignment reporters, and Special Assignment reporters to Correspondents, either freelancing or full-timely employed. Its news or articles are in-depth and gives more time to information than any other news paper does, (In South Africa) although most of its revenues are contributed by the advertising in their news paper, with adverts from corporate companies, N.G.O (Non-governmental Organizations), Government Departments, retailers to small business. The paper also dances to the strings of the populous at a reasonable price, with the administration and circulation side of the paper handled by Johnnic Publishing and the production done at, The News Paper Printing Company, in Johannesburg. It has foreign and national bureaus with editorials from London, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, undefeated with a distribution network spanning beyond the borders of South Africa.

In my journalistic prowess, I spoke to ‘Buti’ who has been working for the Sunday Times in the past ten years, although being a feminist at heart, ‘Buti’ confirmed to be as astute as they come. I asked ‘Buti’, what he thought was the integral part of being a journalist? He said: “The most important thing you have to lookout for is being opinionated by your own ideals and indoctrinations of how you perceive the world. A journalist must never be bias and prejudice towards the people that provides the story. You must remember that objectivity breaths wisdom and subjectivity breaths ignorance.” I then asked if he thought sensationalism was good or bad for the news paper. ‘Buti’ answered thus: “You must remember that the print media industry is a business at the end of the day and it has to feed its employees, to do so it has to create some form of hype in the way it illustrates its articles. I guess there has to be a creative drive in providing the story through proper channels and not fabrications.” Are you proud of being a journalist? I sensed a sigh, then: “I am proud of my achievements, from where I was to where I am today. Yes.”. I wanted to ask if his earnings or salary is what keeps him motivated, however knowing what journalism entails and the amount of time required for one to prove themselves worthy of being editor of any kind, I decided, to let sleeping dogs lay. (‘Buti’ source at the newspaper)

The Sunday Time is managed by the most prolific people in the print media industry, which also includes the journalistic ability that the news paper represents. It plays host to a diverse selection of journalistic artistry, from crime reporting to economical news. With the outmost integrity descended upon the world of print media. The structure of this news paper is governed by the strongest ethical duties of being, “Independent, Current, Accurate, Fair, Honest and Critical, Responsible and Objective.” (a new introduction to JOUNALISM). Freedom of the press truly governs the hierarchy of the Sunday Times. Open the pages of the ‘Lifestyle’ publication that has the most appetizing editorials of holiday destinations and human interest stories from the callow peripheries of the African Safari to the mountainous regions of Europe, cultural demonstrations and fabulous cuisine. The publication explores new trends and lifestyle of the bourgeoisie. ‘Lifestyle’ has its own editor: Laurice Taitz; assistant editor: Lerato Tshabalala; sub-editors: Garth van der Walt and Sue Plein; writers: Bongani Madondo, Caspar Greeff, and Lin Sampson. The book review pages are by Michele Magwood and cars expect page done by David Bullard. The news editor of the Sunday Times is Jessica Bezeidehout; sub-editor Berry Smith and chief sub-editor Simpiwe Philiso.

The last time I visited a news room of any news paper, I was in my early teens and I was taken abreast the walls of earthly concrete heaven with serenading sounds of keys tapping into the unknown earth, the unexplored. In my perceived thoughts that bare all the appearances of Joseph Conrad’s, ‘Heart of Darkness’, when the character Marlow reminisces about his boyhood, dreaming of adventures in the ‘Dark Continent’, and articulates: “At that time the were many blank spaces on the earth, …..But the was one yet – the biggest, the most blank, so to speak - that I had a hankering after.”. The news room that unleashed my emotive spirit into subliminal thoughts and anointed my head with an ink of poised creativity, to flow into the constant river of prose poetic streams, was none other than, Fred Khumalo’s alma mater, ‘THE SOWETAN’. Where Fred Khumalo polished his journalistic skills under a pseudonym then rose to be one of the best journalists in the Sunday Times. Their news room to my perception was like, the coming and goings of humanity, pieces of paper, silent conversations, shouts and deadlines, it captured my core. It was my first experience inside a news room and that has resided in my memories to this day.

The loveliest day of the week, is on a Sunday morning, when society rest peacefully in their soft beds and the songs of angels and birds are heard in the distant trees and worship houses, vehicles maneuvering, in the streets with House-music busting in the eardrums of men, to delete the memories of regretful deeds from the previous night of horror and booze. The breeze strikes my face, a man shouts in the distance: “Your paper, Sir!” I walk towards the gate and there, she sleeps her bold words scarlet like a Rose with thorns of black ink tears, ‘THE SUNDAY TIMES’. I pick her up in merriment and into my house, I herald her. Then, into the pages of her short knowledgeable life my eyes are lost in scrutiny, inside ‘The Paper for the People’.

By Linda Sakazi Thwala

(Please note that, the aforementioned names of journalists and editors may have changed since this article was written in the year 2006)