The African Masculinity Symposium, co-hosted by the Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction (CSSR) and the School of Journalism and Media Studies, occurred earlier this month at Eden Grove Blue. The event aimed to tackle the topic of Challenging Patriarchal Norms for a Safer and More Equitable Society. The objective was to address pressing matters such as Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and its connection to violent masculinities; and how it has provoked social media movements and prompted national debates calling on the need for change.

Highway Africa, together with the Partnership for Social Accountability (PSA) Alliance, invites journalists and media houses in Southern Africa to apply for the 4th Southern Africa Media Awards in Social Accountability Reporting 2023.

Rhodes University School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) unveiled its mural, which celebrates and honours industry legends, on Friday at the Afrika Media Matrix.

It was a week in which academics wrote poems with ChatGPT and learned computational methods to collect data from thousands of online news sites. Rhodes University's School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) hosted the DigiMethods 2023 event from 19 to 24 June 2023. Academic staff and postgraduate students came from as far as Uganda and Kenya to attend the event, which included a winter school on digital research methods and a colloquium on future-proofing the media and journalism curriculum.

Lecturer in Rhodes University's School of Journalism & Media Studies, Dr Chikezie Uzuegbunam, has been selected among other international research scientists to join the IPIE, the International Panel on the Information Environment.

One of the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) finest journalists and Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies’ (JMS) alumnus, Thami Dickson, has been appointed News and Current Affairs Editor for Channel Africa. Dickson is an experienced journalist with almost 20 years of working experience in radio and television news production.

Rhodes University School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) wrapped up its 50th-anniversary celebrations and awards last week.

The South African Reserve Bank Centre for Economic Journalism has opened the application process for students interested in obtaining the prestigious South African Reserve Bank Scholarships in Economics Journalism.

Nine years of consistent hard work and dedication have finally turned a dream into a reality for Dr Mikaela Oosthuizen. She finally received her PhD in Media studies from Rhodes university at the October graduation ceremony.

For the recently held October graduations at Rhodes University, two PhD graduates were gifted gowns from well-respected academics in their respective fields.

Rhodes University’s director of communications and advancement, Luzuko Jacobs, was among those who acquired their hard-earned doctorates at the university’s graduation ceremony on Friday.

In commemorating its 50th anniversary in 2022, Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) is honouring 50 of its most distinguished alumni across the globe. Seven alumni were honoured at a Gala Dinner hosted by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, at Lagoon Beach Hotel in Cape Town last night. These are Audrey Brown, Rebecca Davis, Ray Hartle, Leonie Joubert, Daneel Knoetze, Karyn Maughan, Minoshni Pillay and Professor Alison Gillwald.

Rhodes University School of Journalism and Media Studies TV Lecturer and PhD candidate Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki has been appointed to President Cyril Ramaphosa's National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council.

Following two preliminary exclusive screenings at Rhodes University and the University of Fort Hare, the 65-minute-long documentary film, Intellectual Giants of the Eastern Cape, officially premiered at the 25th Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) in June 2022.

Are you an exceptional student looking for a place to do your postgraduate degree? At the School of Journalism & Media Studies at Rhodes University we have a wide variety of options for you. Come and find your focus with us.

When South African writer Antjie Krog was just 17, she wrote a poem for her school magazine which was shocking enough to upset Kroonstad High’s parents. The furore caught the attention of the Sunday newspapers, who descended on the town in the Free State province.

On 05 May 2022, in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day (03 May), the Rhodes University School of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) hosted a discussion under the theme “Reclaiming African Journalism in the Public Interest”. This discussion also formed part of the School’s 50th Anniversary this year. The panellists offered enlightening insights and solutions to address the current plights of the profession.

World Press Freedom Day 2022 (3 May) takes place at a time when the world is caught in an information war.

The word corruption has its roots in the Latin adjective corruptus which refers to something that is spoiled, corrupted or perverted. In South Africa, evidence of the perversion of public funds abounds. In his 2021 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement the country’s finance minister Enoch Godongwana warned that rampant corruption was a persistent issue draining public finances.

The overall purpose of this post is to contribute to the academic project of the School of JMS as set out in its vision statement. The incumbent should do so by operationalising and putting into practice engaged approaches to communication practice as part of the operation of the school’s media platforms. As part of such approaches they should develop and implement strategies for content delivery as well as audience growth and retention. A Masters’ degree in a relevant field of digital media production, digital strategy, and audience engagement experience, preferably with progress being made towards a PhD. Tutoring or facilitation experience required. Some formal academic teaching experience would be preferable.

At its second virtual graduation ceremony for Masters and PhD students on 29 October 2021, Rhodes University will confer a degree of Doctor of Letters (D Litt) (honoris causa) on retired SABC isiXhosa news anchor, Ms Noxolo Grootboom. Ms Grootboom is recognised nationally for her significant promotion of national pride and culture through her journalistic career, which spanned 37 years.

Starting on Tuesday, 19 October 2021, Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) Division hosted the 5th annual Community Engagement Symposium under the theme ‘The role of Community Engagement in the reimagination of Higher Education during and post the Covid 19 pandemic’.

There comes a time in some people’s lives when the seeds they have been carefully planting throughout their careers, come together to form a beautiful tree. This is the sentiment of the recently-appointed Development and Fundraising Manager at the Division of Communication and Advancement, Ms Siyasanga Hompashe.

Recognising that diversity is important in achieving excellence, Rhodes University strongly encourages South African members of underrepresented designated groups, especially women and applicants with disability to apply. Spouses and partners of existing staff members are also encouraged to apply.

Rhodes University alumni have entrusted Dr Michele Ruiters with the role of President of Convocation. Dr Ruiters is a senior lecturer at Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), associated with the University of Pretoria. She teaches human and organisational behaviour courses, diversity, equality, and inclusion.

The Instinctif Partners bursary programme aims to fund academically deserving students who do not have the fi nancial means to complete a degree or diploma at a South African public university. The aim of the bursary programme is to give young South African graduates an opportunity to gain workplace experience. Final year students with a passion for investor relations, communications, digital, social media or PR and who want to further their career in these fi elds are invited to apply.

Back in full swing in 2021, the annual Highway Africa summit conference ran virtually over three days in June, with 136 unique attendees.

Day three of the Highway Africa virtual conference, which consisted of several academic and research tracks, was launched with a keynote by Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cape Town, Francis Nyamnjoh.

The afternoon session of the second day of the Highway Africa virtual conference kicked off on 22 June with the highly anticipated panel discussion titled: ‘Big tech and data, disinformation, truth and inertia’.

Journalists worldwide do unpopular work that places them under threat – and this is not just a reality in autocratic states but one faced by journalists around the world. Cyberattacks have become the latest attack method of choice against journalists, with cases continuing to rise exponentially. This was the topic of discussion for the last seminar on the second day of the Highway Africa virtual conference, which ran from 21-23 June 2021.

On 22 June, Adi Eyal, Founder of OpenUp, a civic tech laboratory that blends data and technology to drive social change, gave a keynote address on Harnessing Big Data by African Media to Improve Journalism Innovation in a well-attended presentation as part of the Highway Africa three-day virtual conference.

On 21 June 2021, Highway Africa started its virtual conference on the perils and promise of platformisation for Africa with an introduction and welcome from Dr Sizwe Mabizela, Vice-Chancellor of Rhodes University.

Although 2020’s unexpected COVID-19 pandemic limited Highway Africa to a series of webinars, this year’s virtual conference will see the usual magnitude of this 24-year old event restored to its former glory.

The SA Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher won the Oscar for Best Documentary Film feature early on Monday morning.

"...If ever there were an imperative moment for the study of journalism to more assertively make sense of the possibilities and perils of revenue generation or public and philanthropic support for news, it should be now..." Seth C. Lewis (2020) On 18 March 2021, Highway Africa at Rhodes University's School of Journalism and Media Studies hosted the launch of the report Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Reviving and Sustaining South African Journalism in a Post Covid World. The much-anticipated Covid-19 research report led by Harry Dugmore is a follow-up to 2019’s Paying the Piper. Both reports were funded by Open Society Foundation and they explore what South Africans can learn from experiments around the world to find novel ways to fund and sustain journalism.

JMS alumna, Lethabo Sekele, currently serves as the Strategic Support to the General Secretary of NUMSA (Irvin Jim), is the Non-executive Director at Bala Books, was previously a Member of the Board of Trustees at Medshield Medical Scheme, and has recently just founded the WorkWell Workplace Mental Health Programme. Inspired by her own ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Depression and Anxiety diagnosis and the struggles she faced in the workplace in light of this, Lethabo founded WorkWell to help professional environments better support and embrace neurodiversity.

2020’s tragedy and heartache, its contagion and disconnection, its weirdness, and all our struggles to adapt and survive, and to cope and emerge as intact as we can, are reflected in travails of the news media and journalism the world over. The pandemic has accelerated long-wave trends in media economics that are reshaping journalism everywhere, and which are playing out in South Africa in particularly harsh ways.

Dr Alette Schoon, Rhodes University Journalism & Media Studies School researcher and lecturer, is one of the writers and editors of the recently published African Digital Media Review Vol. 41, No. 4 (2020), a Special Annual Issue of African Journalism Studies. Edited together with Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara, Tanja Bosch, and Harry Dugmore, this Special Edition was catalysed by the inaugural African DigiMethods symposium hosted by the Rhodes University JMS School in June 2019. Challenging the entrenched over-reliance on Western methodological approaches, this inspired Special Edition is a dynamic voice in the conversation on media research in the Global South.

ESPN Africa recently announced their newest collaboration with South African actor, comedian, and writer Tyson Ngubeni AKA "Bob O'Connor". Through this new brand campaign, Ngubeni's hilarious alter ego, Bob O'Connor, will be explaining American sporting leagues to viewers across the continent.

Are you an exceptional student looking for a place to do your postgraduate degree? At the School of Journalism & Media Studies at Rhodes University we have a wide variety of options for you. Come and find your focus with us.

2 Posts available in the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer/Lecturer levels

Dr. Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey is the Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the Licence to Talk (LtT) research project (funded by the National Research Foundation) at the Rhodes University School of Journalism and Media Studies. Theodora travelled from Ghana to South Africa for her Postdoc post in March this year, arriving in Makhanda just one week before the country went into hard lockdown! Theodora’s transition into a Postdoc was nothing near to what she expected and in order to ensure her professional and personal survival, technology has had to become her greatest ally. Fortunately, Theodora is someone who has expert knowledge in communications technology and is dedicated to using it in innovative ways.

“My father kept asking me, ‘Are you going to Oxford? ... like Oxford, where the dictionary comes from?’”

When President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the start of the national lockdown with effect from 26 March 2020, it meant a lot of industries would be negatively affected.

“The School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University is delighted that Zubeida Jaffer has been recognised for her years of service to the the journalism profession. This is such a well deserved award and congratulate her and we celebrate her,” said the Acting Head of the School, Professor Anthea Garman.

Public procurement is the single largest corruption risk, particularly in developing countries. Transparency International estimates that governments in low- and middle-income countries spend about 50% of public funds buying goods and services from the private sector. This compares with just 30% in high-income countries.

A personal essay by Thembelihle Ngcai I’m the only disabled person in my family. I was one of the very few visibly disabled people in high school, university, and later in the workplace. My experience of disability has always been characterised by comparison

This Friday you would not have found your Grocott’s Mail at the supermarket as usual, and here’s why.

The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) held a productive teleconference on Tuesday with the GCIS and Department of Health on reporting on the coronavirus. SANEF stated that it was committed to assisting government to communicate information pertaining to the spread and containment of the virus.

Question: Tell us something about Shaun Johnson that is less well known: Answer: He knew his typefaces… and more. In 1996, the Rhodes Journalism Review set aside four full pages featuring an account of colour palettes, and typefaces like Nimrod and Helvetica Neue Bold Condensed, and Gill Sans Bold Extra Condensed. The content was penned by Shaun, describing his changes at the then 139-year-old Cape Argus earlier in the year. And he wrote: “A redesign is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for a relaunch.” In his view, design should not be imposed from the beginning; it had to follow a clear vision of the positioning of the paper. That’s insight.

Shaun Johnson, founding Executive Director of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation and dedicated member of Rhodes University’s Board of Governors, died at his home on Monday 24 February 2020, at the age of 60.

Tributes have poured in after veteran journalist and Mandela Rhodes Foundation founding chief executive Shaun Johnson died on Monday.

In the course of 2019, the Rhodes University Drama Department staged several theatre-based performances as vehicles for social intervention and change.

A R200 000 fund, raised by staff and clients of Standard Bank. will ensure that approximately 1 200 local children up to the age of five will have ready access to water in their early childhood development centres (ECDs).

The etymology of a word goes a long way in teaching us the history, the routes and the roots of a word as expressed at a joint Rhodes University and Makhanda Black Kollective (MBK) community seminar entitled ‘Ukuhlambulula from an anti-humane world’ in Fingo Village, Makhanda.

A film-maker’s childhood dream will finally come true, as filming in Bonteheuwel for the movie, Love and Faya, had everyone talking about it in the community. Directed by Eugene Paramoer, Love and Faya is inspired by Eugene's childhood and a book he read as a youth - Days and Nights of Love and War - a book by Uruguayan author, Eduardo Galeano.