In November 2009 I began a journey that has seen me grow as a person and as a professional.
On the first day of that month, five years ago, I officially became a general news journalist with the Germiston City News.
It was there, in a quaint Fisher’s Hill newsroom, where my love affair with reporting developed.
I remember my first day on the job.
Man, I was nervous.
Besides sorting through the odd press release in the morning I met with a lovely couple for a golden anniversary interview.
I had never done something like that before and I can remember jotting down a couple of random questions that I double-checked, then triple-checked, then quadruple-checked to make 100 per cent sure so that I did not look like a fish out of water in front of my interviewees.
Following that “successful” first day things started falling into to place and the more comfortable I got, the better the content that I was producing became.
From taking copious notes at longwinded council meetings at the Germiston Council Chambers to cutting birthday cakes with wrinkled centurions to interviewing Helen Zille, I was getting around and meeting people from all walks of life.
My most distinctive recollection from my time there was entering a rocking Dukathole Informal Settlement all on my lonesome.
The place was like a hive of angry hornets.
The people were protesting and demanding a better life.
I recall how, as I walked through the settlement past burning tyres, I was greeted by a massive crowd.
Jumping and chanting, demanding better service from the municipality.
For a white boy from the suburbs of Benoni this was something incredibly intimidating yet surprisingly motivating and uplifting for me, because I had proven to myself that I could face anything that this community journalism game would throw at me.
Fast track to 2014 and even though I have taken a different route by following my sports reporting passion here in my hometown there are still one or two things that I have taken from my general news days.
- Lesson one: People will be people.
You can’t please everybody.
There are always going to be people who disagree with how you do things and perhaps they just don’t quite understand what goes on behind the scenes in the newsroom.
I remember taking a municipal complaint call and the woman on the other side of the line angrily growling at me for not fixing her municipal problem.
“Why do we pay tax to you if your newspaper cannot help us?” she asked quizzically.
After having a good chuckle and explaining to this individual that I did not receive any money from the public coffers she quickly changed her tune and her mood towards me.
- Lesson two: Respect the product.
It is vital for any journalist to ensure that the work that they produce is always of a good quality.
When the paper hits the streets or the story is uploaded onto the website it is the name of both the journo and the newspaper that is open to scrutiny from all angles.
People will read your work and boy they will criticise.
The Grammar Police has a number of officers employed in all parts of the world and they are ready and waiting to pounce on vulnerable writers.
So, after five interesting years it is fair to say that I have learned an abundance of lessons.
I have never stopped learning and I will continue to do so.
To everybody who has played a part in my journalism odyssey thus far I thank you for all the support, encouragement and belief.
I have only taken baby steps in these last five years, now brace yourselves for my big leap.
LG
As a footnote I would like to name and show gratitude to just a few of those people who have backed me from day one. Cathy Grosvenor (former editor of the Springs Advertiser, where I served a few weeks as an intern), Mari Scott (former assistant editor of the Springs Advertiser), Amanda Thanasaras (former Caxton East Rand marketing manager), Melissa Hart (editor of the Germiston City News), Riaan Engelbrecht (editor of the Boksburg Advertiser), Hilary Green (editor of the Benoni City Times) and Karen Watts (general manager of Caxton South and East Rand). Thank you too to all my colleagues over the years. You are all legends!
