Editor gives insight into the media industry

Marietta Lombard, the Editor of the Joburg East Express, The Tembisan and Bedfordview and Edenvale NEWS, was the guest speaker at the Writers 2000 February meeting.

Marietta gave a brief introduction on the historical development of the NEWS and also shared some of her own personal life experiences. Not only is she a successful professional in a demanding environment, she also balances the life of a mother, wife, daughter and sister.

It may have been surprising for many of those present to be given an insight into the extent to which the newspaper (and its sister newspapers) is involved in so much more than the weekly hard-copy publication, so widely distributed each Wednesday.

Clearly, to survive in the changing world of news presentation, traditional print journalists are facing the unavoidable challenges of becoming multimedia storytellers. Websites, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are but a few of the more popular mediums. The publications under her care make use of all of these tools.

Marietta pointed out that more and more individual entrepreneurs are also earning more and more money through blogs and YouTube channels.

Her commitment and passion was clear as she emphasised the need for journalists to endorse their facts.

The property industry slogan of ‘location, location, location’ parallels in the journalist’s world with the equally important phrase of ‘confirm, confirm, confirm’. She stressed how dangerous and risk-filled the presentation of inaccurate information is to news providers at every level.

Marietta also spoke about the importance of advertising support, without which no free weekly newspaper would survive. When asked about the achievement of success in journalism, she said there was truth in the view of being born with the right instincts.

Many of those present at the meeting could not wait for Marietta to finish her speech as they were eager to have a one-on-one conversation with her. Rumour has it that one young aspirant journalist was provided with the necessary information to pursue post-matric enquiries with the Caxton Cadet School for Journalism.

The next meeting of Writers 2000 will take place on March 26 at the Inyoni Creek Clubhouse, Rand Aid Complex, on the corner of Wordsworth and Modderfontein roads. The meeting will start at 1.30pm for 2pm.

The guest speaker will be author Mr Daniel Browde, who will be talking about ‘The Impossible Biography’.

There is a door fee of R20 payable by visitors. Contact the chairperson, Ms Nicolette Bosman, for more information about this meeting or email the group at 2000@telkomsa.net or phone 082 924 5735.