Zululand Observer editors shine at national awards

THE Zululand Observer is celebrating the outstanding achievements of editor-in-chief Dave Savides and managing editor Ronelle Ramsamy at last night’s (Friday) Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) Avbob FCJ Excellence Awards.

The ZO occupied the top two spots in the Best Editorial Comment category, with Ronelle taking home the trophy and Dave runner-up.

With his ‘extremely creative and brilliant’ headlines, ‘showing that tongue-in-cheek sells’, Dave, ‘a master crafter of headlines’, walked away with the top spot in the Headlines category.

Dave was also a finalist in the Columns category.

In the newspaper categories, the ZO was in the top 5 in the Best Front Page category and a finalist for Newspaper of the Year.

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Friday night’s event was the first ‘in person’ awards since the onset of the Covid pandemic, with community journalists coming together from around South Africa.

Speaking at the event, Carl van der Riet, CEO of awards sponsors Avbob, said that to create a vibrant and flourishing society, everyone needs to unite around the single purpose of creating inclusive economic growth for society’s benefit.

“The relationship between the media and broader society is critical on many levels, like holding decision-makers to account, reporting on key societal issues like gender-based violence, and giving marginalised communities a voice on issues affecting them.

“This is where the role of the media comes in as a critical facilitator and enabler. The sharing of trusted and reliable information allows communities to unite on issues, express their frustrations and differences, identify solutions, and move forward together,” said Van der Riet.

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