Local Northcliff journalist wins prestigious community journalism award
Emily Wellman-Bain walked away from the #AvbobFCJAwards a happy woman after placing third and first in two hotly contested categories.
The words of the inimitable Yoda, ‘Do or do not, there is no try’ all but sum up the attitude towards community journalism of Northcliff Melville Times’ now award-winning journalist, Emily Wellman-Bain.
Emily, well-known in the community for her no-holds-barred attitude towards covering news, was deservingly presented the prestigious Alet Roux Award for the Upcoming Journalist of the Year at last week’s Avbob FCJ Awards. This after being named a finalist in the following news writing categories of the competition:
- Digital reporting
- Hard news
- Investigative reporting.
At the time of entering the competition, Emily had only been a journalist for roughly six months, making her achievement even more outstanding.
The Avbob FCJ award judges commended Emily’s versatility across a number of categories and her dedication to her community, noting that hers is a name that we will be hearing much more of in the future.
Northcliff Melville Times editor Aimee McGill says that Emily’s passion for her community has stood out since the day she walked into the office, little over a year ago. “Working with Emily has been one of the highlights of my career as an editor. She is a journalist who keeps her editor on her toes, always asking the tough questions and pushing towards greater heights. She loves her newspaper and her community, and it is clear in the quality of the stories she writes. I am incredibly proud of Emily for her achievements as a journalist, and this award is simply the cherry on top.”
Caxton Local Media’s Joburg Metro editor-in-chief, Marietta Lombard says, “Emily’s win showcases the quality of journalism that is being produced by Joburg news teams. She competed against the country’s top community journalists and winning the prestigious Alet Roux Award for Upcoming Journalist of the Year is definitely a feather in her cap. It shows that she is truly her community’s watchdog and their voice.”
Emily also placed third in the Best Digital Reporting category at the awards, proving that she is indeed a well-rounded, passionate reporter with many stories to tell.
From the award-winner herself:
“To be even nominated is an achievement. Congratulations to all of us that made the top 10 lists out of the hundreds of submissions received nationally.
I left the NGO sector in my 40s to become a community journalist. It was an exhilarating and terrifying time when I joined the Northcliff Melville Times community newspaper.
I am forever grateful to my editor, Aimee McGill, for taking a chance on me – we were both brave and luckily it has been a successful partnership. Aimee is my mentor, confidant and someone I want to work hard for – she wants me to shine.
A journalist needs information on which to report. Our community has trusted me with their tales of joy and moments of heartbreak and sadness. I am eternally grateful that they have allowed me into their private spaces and I look forward to continuing my journey as a community journalist.
Thank you to everyone who has given me tip-offs, leads or story ideas. I hope our mutually beneficial relationship will continue.
I remain extremely proud of my achievements but need my editor and community I report on to be recognised too, because without them I’d be nowhere.”
About the Avbob FCJ awards:
The Avbob FCJ Excellence Awards, hosted by the Forum of Community Journalists NPC (FCJ), has become a well-known event in the media industry with the number of individual entries almost doubling from last year, with a total of 527 individual entries. The Forum of Community Journalists is an independent, non-profit organisation that strives to promote and express the interests of journalists at regional community newspapers, magazines and online community publications in South Africa.
Other Caxton Joburg Metro successes
Emily was not alone in her success at the Avbob FCJ Awards, with a number of other Caxton Local Media Joburg journalists and newspapers featuring in the finals
- Northcliff Melville Times: Newspaper of the Year winner (corporate-owned free newspaper with a pagination less that 24)
- Rosebank Killarney Gazette: Best Front Pages winner (corporate-owned free newspaper)
- Roodepoort Northsider: Newspaper of the Year runner-up (corporate-owned free newspaper with a pagination less that 24)
- Naidine Sibande (Rosebank Killarney Gazette): Best sports writer of the year finalist
- Lebohang Peter (Benoni City Times): Best sports writer of the year finalist
- Rosebank Killarney Gazette: Newspaper of the Year finalist (corporate-owned free newspaper with a pagination less that 24)
- Sandton Chronicle: Newspaper of the Year finalist (corporate-owned free newspaper with a pagination less that 24)
- Randburg Sun: Newspaper of the Year finalist (corporate-owned free newspaper with a pagination less that 24)
- Fourways Review: Newspaper of the Year finalist (corporate-owned free newspaper with a pagination less that 24)
- African Reporter: Newspaper of the Year finalist (corporate-owned paid newspaper with a circulation over 5000)
VOX POP
Northcliff Melville Times readers and colleagues congratulate Emily on her win
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