Media doyen, Angela Quintal, will take over the reins at the Mail & Guardian, come October.
She will take over from Nic Dawes who is headed for New Delhi to edit the Hindustan Times, India’s second biggest daily with a circulation of 1.5 million.
Presently, Quintal (45) is editor of The Witness, a Pietermaritzburg-based daily newspaper that covers the KwaZulu-Natal region. Since joining the paper in November 2011, she has been involved in drawing up an expansion plan that is soon to be implemented.
“The reason why I’m only starting in October is so that I can implement it before I leave,” she told DESTINY.
Before joining The Witness, Quintal was the The Mercury editor in Durban, and in both roles, she was the first female editor.
Highlights of her 20-year career include being the SA Press Association (Sapa) parliamentary and presidential correspondent during the Mandela presidency, and group political editor at Independent Newspapers. Quintal was also part of the team that started the now defunct, This Day.
She studied journalism at Rhodes University and followed it up with an LLB before kick-starting her stellar career. She is well-respected in the industry and has been described by those who’ve worked for her as “awesome, driven and a great mentor.”
She chats to us.
Your career spans 20 years. What have been some of the challenges you have encountered, and what have been the highlights?
There have been many challenges – many of which are of my own making. This includes being a control-freak and a perfectionist. There have also been many “isms”, including chauvinism, sexism and paternalism, but I haven’t allowed these to drag me down – most of my mentors have been male and I’ve reached where I am today, because of them.
On the personal front, for the past two years I’ve had to deal with being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but so far it has not affected my work and I’m not about to let it either.
Some have said your work routine is maniac. Would you agree? How does a typical workday play out?
I’m guilty as charged. I wake up at 6.30am, lie in bed, grab my iPad or Blackberry to check my emails and social media accounts, while watching news or listening to the radio. Most mornings are spent in meetings at work, which I hope to avoid or at least cut down on when I’m at the Mail & Guardian.
Afternoon and evening, I catch up on admin and worry about the content for the next day’s paper. At night I’m editing or rewriting copy and headlines, or directing the night reporter to follow up on this or that. I don’t know when last I worked an eight-hour day, but I know being a workaholic is not something to be particularly proud of, nor is it healthy. I think it might have helped had my partner worked and lived in Pietermaritzburg, as he would have forced me to return home at a decent hour.
Yes, I do work marathon hours and do generally see the paper being put to bed, but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t thrive on it. So from producing a newspaper six days a week, to going to a weekly, I think I may not know what to do with myself. Mind you, the Mail & Guardian has introduced a digital first strategy, so there’s always the daily online offering to keep the adrenaline going.
How would you comment on the gender make-up of media in South Africa today?
It’s great to see how many women leaders there are in the newspaper industry. There’s Phylicia Oppelt, editing the Sunday Times, Ferial Haffajee at City Press, The Herald’s Heather Robinson, Cecilia Russell at the Saturday Star, Chiara Carter at the Weekend Argus, Alide Dasnois edits the Cape Times, Johanna van Eden at Volksblad, Val Boje of the Pretoria News and me at The Witness and from October, the Mail & Guardian.
It’s hard to imagine that once upon a time, there was a glass ceiling for women in the South African newspaper industry. There’s also changes in management: Media 24 is headed by Esmare Weideman, The Citizen has Eureka Zandberg as its publisher, while the Mail & Guardian’s publisher is Anastacia Martin and its managing editor, Charmeela Bhagowat.
Having covered SA’s first democratic elections and Nelson Mandela’s presidency, how would you say media has conducted itself while covering the story of his health?
I think the South African media have done a good job and tried to keep the public informed, despite patches of erratic communication from the Presidency, while also respecting Madiba’s privacy. Unlike some foreign news outlets and people on Twitter and Facebook, there is also an understanding that this is not a story that you need to “scoop” your competitors on.
For example, I have not seen any newspaper in SA mistakenly reporting that Madiba passed away. It is quite clear than when it comes to Madiba’s health, accuracy and credibility are far more important than being the first with the news, and running the risk of having egg on one’s face.
You mentored Nic Dawes, how does it feel to be taking over from him as editor of the M&G?
I don’t think I mentored Nic. We shared an office while I was parliamentary editor at This Day and he returned from overseas to become a parliamentary reporter. I may have shown Nic a competitive streak or two – and how to drive hard news – but he would also have received that from many others in the press gallery.
How do I feel about taking over from Nic? I have told many people that I feel a bit like Thabo Mbeki when he was repeatedly asked how he felt about filling Madiba’s shoes. A fed-up Thabo said something about not wanting to do so, because they were ugly shoes.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same. Nic has style and wears pretty good shoes and it’s going to be one helluva job trying to fill them.
BY ZANELE SABELA
Article Source: http://www.destinyconnect.com/2013/07/31/angela-quintal-ready-for-mg/