#MeetTheTeam – Roelof de Jonge
Roelof says his passion for photography is what got him interested in journalism.
POLOKWANE – He is the Review’s go-to man for motoring news and you are most likely to see him with his camera in his hand.
How long have you been working at the Review?
What is your role at the Review?
To cover all kinds of motoring and business news, and all other kinds of community news.
Describe a typical day for a Review journalist?
Each day is a deadline day, especially now with the internet and social media, but it is exciting and wonderful that news can reach our audience instead of them having to wait for a newspaper issue to get published.
How do you deal with pressure?
To the best of my abilities, journalists are not all the same, but we have the same objective, to inform our readers what is happening in their established area.
What it is like knowing that people read your articles on a weekly basis?
It fills me with pride, especially if a story has a positive spin to it.
Have you kept all your articles?
No, only some of the very special stories. I do keep a lot of my photos because of my passion for photography.
What was your favourite story that you’ve done?
I can’t single out one, but definitely those stories that have helped someone in need and if my story contributed to such a person being helped because someone has read about it.
What are some of the positive aspects about being a journalist?
To meet new people regularly, especially if it is national sport or entertainment personalities.
What are some of the negative aspects?
We, as community news journalists, don’t have the freedom to write what we want like our colleagues in the national press has. Especially consumer related stories which has gone national.
Why did you decide to become a journalist?
I actually wanted to become a photo journalist since childhood. I started thus with photography and worked my way up into journalism. A career choice I will never regret, it has become a lifestyle for me which I do with passion.
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