As a former financial journalist and editor with Finweek and Moneyweb, I have always been intrigued by the question of what makes a good journalist … and conversely, what people think the life of journalist is really like.
“But don’t journalists just write stories – how hard can it be to write 600 words a day?” – this is one perception….
“Somebody must do something! I have been to the police, the regulators and the lawyers and they say they can’t assist – I need a journalist to unpack this wrong-doing and expose this situation” … this is the other perception.
This dynamic often intrigues me – on one hand, there is very little in the way of funding for media and journalism in South Africa. At the same time, there is an expectation for a resource to investigate everything from your local savings scam, through to complex financial crime and corruption.
Journalism is one of the most noble professions in South Africa and we wanted to have the opportunity to showcase some of the talent that the country produces. With that in mind, we introduced our “Media in Focus” series where we introduce you to some of the journalists in the financial services sector and the stories behind their careers.
We kicked it off with Neesa Moodley, the Personal Finance editor for the Daily Maverick. Personal Finance is something which is incredibly close to my heart – investing in shares, crypto-currencies and commodities might make the headlines – but it means nothing if the country doesn’t have a sound personal finance base and savings culture.
Here’s a short interview discussing her journey in journalism:
The Daily Maverick call to action
On 15 April 2024, the Daily Maverick shutdown for 24 hours to highlight the challenges that the news industry in South Africa is facing.
Whether it has been around unpacking issues in the financial services sector, providing political economy coverage or empowering South Africans around personal finance – the Daily Maverick is consumed by hundreds of thousands of people each week.
It is an important resource and a strong free press is important in any democracy.
Despite this enormous readership base, many people are not willing to pay to consume news. The Daily Maverick has an innovative subscription model, which allow you to pay what you can afford. To check it out, please click here.