INTERVIEWER: SHAZIA PATEL
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: What are your qualifications and where did you gain them? Why did you get into journalism?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: I have two MAs in Journalism and Politics respectively and I also did my PhD on news media. I got my first job in journalism after graduating with a BA degree in Media studies, politics and law and started working as a freelance journalist, mainly covering the Balkans.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: How long have you been involved in the media industry? How do you think journalists changed over this period of time?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: I have been in the media industry since 1994 and since then there have been massive changes, mainly due to new technological developments impacting production, dissemination and audience engagment.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: What are the basic trends you have seen in the industry and how do they affect what you do?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: Digital media is changing the undustry and has the capacity to open up the news media to viciously neglected segments of the audience, particularly in the context of young democracy and developing society.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: What are the qualifications of a professional journalist?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: As an academic, I see the value of a university degree which does not necessarily have to be in journalism but in any area that interests you and that gives you the necessary insight into the specific issues you would like to cover. A sound knowledge of ethics and good writing skills are essential.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: From your own experience, what are the general qualifications of a lecturer, and what are the precise qualifications of a journalism lecturer?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: You need to have experience as a journalist and I would also say a good university degree. More than ever we need intellectual journalists, writers and editors that can engage with the broader transformation of society.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Considering your position as the Head of Department at an esteemed university, what do you think are some of the most important qualities to have and why?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: Definitely a passion for what you do but also a good understanding of your students and their needs in an ever-changing society.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Would you recommend journalism as a career, if at all? Why?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: Yes I would, as I said earlier in an ever-changing socio-political environment we need good journalists more than ever. It can be a challenging yet very rewarding career.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: What do you believe your unique journalistic niche is?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: As a journalism lecturer and academic, I research news media and have the opportunity to re-think journalism as a profession and where it is heading. This is both interesting and challenging.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Do you believe that the human rights of journalists are upheld, especially considering the recent Secrecy Bill?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: There are many problems in this area and journalsim can be a dangerous profession where you often have to stand your ground and put yourself at the front line to bring issues to public attention.
The so-called Secrecy Bill will infringe the rights of all citizens to a free, open and transparent society.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: How much of journalism is propaganda from government and how do you think this affects the average civilian?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: I do not necessarily think we have news media that bring forth propaganda, and we have a very solid invesitgative news media sector in South Africa. This said, much journalism is too superficial and dares not pose the real difficult questions.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Had you established yourself before your marriage and do you think a woman should create a place for herself in the workplace before becoming dependent on another person or not?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: I have always had a work life and established my career long before I had children. Of course, it can be difficult for any person to strike a fair balance between family and work life, particularly for women. However, middle class women in South Africa often have a good back-up system with domestic help at home. This, however, is a lifestyle only afforded by a small minority.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Does being married to a successful writer impact the way you see yourself? Do you think some of your success can be accredited to him?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: I appreciate all that my husband does but we rarely discuss work, we do talk politics a lot and occasionally criticize each other’s work, however, our careers have always been very separate and built independently from each other.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: In your lecture, you spoke about the “End of Journalism”, could you elaborate on why this misconception exists and why it is, indeed, a misconception?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: Have we reached the end of journalism? No, I do not think so. In an era of new media platforms, the every-man/woman journalist and new forms of audience engagements, journalism in all its facets is probably needed more than ever and the new media landscape presents new and interesting challenges for the news media industry as a whole. While current debates around journalism have focused on how to re-invent journalism to secure its future, I argue that efforts should rather focus on the re-affirmation of the role of journalism in society, particularly in the context of a young democracy and post-colonial society such as South Africa, and many others in the global South. The discipline of journalism cuts to the heart of democratic values and the realisation of a qualitative, deliberative and participatory democracy. Media outlets and platforms for which journalists work are changing rapidly, the way in which journalism is produced no less than so and the way in which audiences consume news is definitely changing in leaps and bounds. However, the fundamentals of journalism in terms of providing, contextualizing and interpreting information (particular information that someone wants to keep out of the public realm) has not changed and is needed more than ever with the complexity of modern society and social organization. And as I said above, we now need intellectual journalists who can interpret what is happening in our ever-changing society more than ever.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: If you were an Editor-in-Chief, how would you ensure the presence of journalism ethics in your own newspaper/magazine? For example, some journalists choose the quotations they want and use them out of context to reflect an opinion that is different from the interviewee’s, how can you manage that?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: You need to have good oversight mechanisms, good news editors as well as sub-editors. Money also has to be pledged towards the training of journalists.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: What is your advice to young journalists who want to establish a career in South Africa?
Ylva Rodny Gumede: Study! Read up on politics, get involved in your own community first and start covering the issues that are close to you and that have an impact on your life.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Thank you so much Dr. Ylva for sharing your profound experience and academic knowledge with us.
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