Change the world

18/06/2021

Journalism graduates and students of Nelson Mandela University contributed to a special Youth Day supplement published by The Herald on June 16, 2021.

2020 Journalism graduate, Michael Mdluli, even shared a front page by-line for his contribution to the June 16 lead story “The young and the jobless”, which focused on unemployed and unemployable graduates in the Eastern Cape.

Michael, whose assessment was selected for publication, had been invited to collaborate with veteran reporter Michael Kimberley only a few days earlier. He said that he was ‘shocked and overwhelmed’ when his lecturer, Cindy Preller, contacted him to inform him that his article had been printed on the front page of The Herald. Michael thanked his sources for sharing their stories with him.

The Herald Youth Day supplement, which drew contributions from students across the Eastern Cape, provided practical experience and an exciting platform for student voices to be heard. Nelson Mandela students’ stories were rooted on real-life issues facing young people in the Eastern Cape - including GBV, the economy, political apathy, and mental wellness.

Read the Youth Day Supplement

“What makes the publication even more exciting is that our students ideated, researched and wrote the articles during the 2020 Lockdown under testing conditions. Kudos must go to students who interrogated their lived experiences and built on lecturer feedback to develop stories that are at the heart of the struggles of young people today,” said Journalism Diploma Coordinator, Jude Mathurine.

BA MCC (Media, Communication & Culture) Design students’ portfolio work for advertising, packaging, posters, fashion and competitions were also displayed on a special photo page of The Herald Youth Day supplement.

In addition, selected third-year Journalism Diploma students were invited to attend The Herald’s daily news conference on Friday, June 11. 

“The experience of visiting The Herald was awesome.” said Philela Ndonga. “We first attended the news conference briefing in preparation for the next issue of the newspaper, which included discussion of the stories, interviews conducted and fact checking and lastly, the layout of the paper. Afterwards, we met with the rest of the staff, introducing us to their roles and duties in the office, and we could ask questions.”

Media and Communication Head of Department Prof Subeshini Moodley said she was very proud of the students involved and all their hard work.

“As a department, one of our main objectives is to produce vocationally-ready graduates. Industry collaborations such as these provide excellent platforms for the exposure and validation our students’ skills and talents. I also want to thank and congratulate Jude and Cindy, the two staff members in our department who prepared and guided the students through this process,” said Prof Moodley.

The Diploma of Journalism is a teach-out qualification in the Department of Media and Communication.

 

The Herald Editor Rochelle de Kock with third-year Journalism Diploma students from Nelson Mandela University, Sabelo Nonyati and Philela Ndonga, during the daily news conference.

The Herald Advertising Account Manager Sandra Muller shows Nonyati and Ndonga how the layout of the paper is structured. Pictures by: WERNER HILLS (The Herald) 

Contact information
Mr Jude Mathurine
Lecturer
Tel: 041 504 4524
Jude.Mathurine@mandela.ac.za