“WE won!” These excited words echoed through cyberspace as the message went out to colleagues, friends and family that the Highway Mail had been named Best Free Newspaper of the Year 2014 at the 26th Caxton Excellence Awards, held at the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg on Thursday night.
It was an evening of glamour and style, and many of those present took to heart the evening’s theme, ‘Amazingly African’, in creations inspired by tradition with a fashionable twist.
The award was a fitting tribute to the staff of the Highway Mail, who had worked tirelessly to come out trumps ahead of the competition from all corners of South Africa.
And while we bask in the limelight for a short while, it is to be remembered that newspapers do not exist in a vacuum. As the editor I am responsible for what happens and what is published in this newspaper at the present time. But a newspaper is only as good as the foundation on which it stands, a foundation laid down, often under difficult circumstances, built over decades, by other editors and mentors who came before me.
Without the people from the old school – people who placed value on truth, fairness, behaviour, accountability, grammar, writing skills, photography and ethics – Caxton’s community newspapers, about 145 of them at last count, would not be the trusted medium for news and advertising that our readers and clients have come to expect, newspapers which they can rely on and trust.
The names which spring to mind of the people who crafted this newspaper’s ethos are George Oliver and James Byrom. These two men ate, slept and breathed newspapers, and it is them that the Highway Mail salutes with the 2014 award.
Down the South Coast, our colleagues had the privilege of being led by Heather Butler. She played her part at the Highway Mail too, and we are indebted to her for the knowledge and humour which she shared with journalists. There are other names too, from around the country, names which those of us who have worked for this newspaper group for decades remember with respect.
Youngsters entering this profession need to appreciate and understand that we have a proud history of 67 years, and some Caxton newspapers have reached their centenary and beyond. It is up to the juniors to soak up as much as they can from the experienced people around them and be prepared to take over the baton in the years to come and to carry it with integrity.
As with most things in life, behind victories big and small there are the backroom boys, the people who shun the spotlight but without whom this newspaper would be but a shadow of its present self. There would be no awards without the production editor and his staff, the people who design and lay out the news from the front page to the back, and not only for this newspaper but the content of our sister newspapers in the Highway Mail stable as well. There are the designers who make up the ads, the sales team, the printers and the people in accounts and human resources who keep an eye on the purse strings. Each one of these departments imparts its identity into the mix that is the Highway Mail. It is this collaboration and the support of the advertisers and readers which makes the Highway Mail a winner.
Newspaper of the Year was not the only accolade received last week.
Highway Mail’s sister paper received a Highly Commended acknowledgement, as did my column (this one!), ‘From the Newsdesk’.
