The national lockdown announced in March last year, created many challenges for news publications across the country. For journalists working at community newspapers, gathering news on a local level proved especially difficult as they, too, were often confined to their homes.
Journalists working at Vukani, a local newspaper serving townships, were among those who had to work remotely.
This was according to Chantel Erfort, editor-in-chief of Cape Community Newspapers (CCN), publishers of Vukani.
“All the journalists for the CCN, which publishes Vukani and its sister titles, were advised to refrain from doing in-person interviews during the Covid-19 lockdown,” she said.
The townships where Vukani is distributed include Khayelitsha, Langa, Nyanga and Gugulethu. PHOTO: Supplied/Wikipedia Commons, Cape Town Attractions Center, BBC Sport, Zones of conflict, Zones of Peace program
Operating during a pandemic
When journalists needed to cover stories face-to-face, they were given masks and hand sanitiser, according to Erfort. Special protocols were also put in place for the shared use of vehicles, she added.
“If any of the staff fell ill, the company granted them access to a healthcare professional, at no cost to the reporters, and they could go for Covid-19 testing,” said Erfort.
Where possible, in-person interviews were avoided, and sources would communicate with the journalists via email, WhatsApp and phone calls, according to Phiri Cawe, a reporter for Vukani.
Phiri Cawe is one of the reporters for Vukani, and covers stories in Langa, Gugulethu, Samora Machel, Philippi East, Crossroads, Nyanga, Khayelitsha and Mfuleni. PHOTO: Supplied/ Vukani
As journalists were often not able to take photographs themselves, and kept face-to-face interviews to a minimum, they had to put extra effort into fact-checking the information provided by sources, Erfort told MatieMedia.
“You have to be extra vigilant, and [ensure] that you have everything correct,” said Erfort.
Last year, Vukani covered a lot of stories on personal protective equipment, masks and sanitisers, said Cawe. However, they also had to continue to cover the same stories they did before lockdown.
Voox Sonandzi, live editor at Vukani, explains the importance of covering Covid-19-related stories in the areas that Vukani covers.
The financial impact of Covid-19
As a free community newspaper, all of Vukani’s revenue comes from advertising, according to Erfort. Since the start of the lockdown, media across the world had experienced a decline in advertising revenue-as had Vukani and other CCN titles, she added.
In order to keep costs in check and to avoid retrenchments, all staff across the company had their salaries reduced and the company stopped using freelancers, she told MatieMedia.
However, Vukani managed to consistently distribute 81 250 newspapers on a weekly basis during 2020, as the CCN remained profitable during lockdown, according to Erfort.
“[CCN] maintained advertiser confidence and support,” said Erfort.