#Thread 2: Journalism & Media

Journalism for me is a passion. It’s something I fell in love with by chance but something I had been born with & something my mother had prepared in me.

However, the challenge with the profession is, and I will be frank, it doesn't pay!

2. However, when done well, it is satisfying. I was lucky to have met veteran journalists & writers quite early. I was privileged to have learnt from them firsthand. By the time I got my first journalism qualification, I had real newsroom & news gathering experience. I appreciate

3. The normal path to journalism in Zimbabwe is usually to go to poly, or to CCOSA, or recently to do media studies degrees. A colleague I respect a lot did his at GZ in Masvingo. But am told MSU & other universities have options too. I will always recommend a qualification.

4. Journalism training is invaluable. You see, anyone can be a reporter. In fact, Zim has many reporters & often these reporters command followings that rival established newspapers online. They break news faster & do reports in real time. Some even have websites too.

5. But citizen reporting isn't journalism. If anything it has destroyed how people view the craft.

Journalists are often bound by ethics & procedure. EG, did you know that, there is a difference between something that is "in the public interest" vs "of interest to the public"?

6. Citizen reporting is a cesspool for slander, malice, bias, gossip, libel & outright lies. It is also impossible to bring reporters to account, either through a reporter's union, or media council like VMCZ. Citizen reporters are unlikely to respect privacy, avoid harassment or-

7. - respect ethics, like, not naming victims of sexual assault, identifying witnesses, intruding into shock & grief, protect sources, be impartial, among other things. This sometimes , s by no fault of their own - after all, it’s a 3-year degree to learn some of these things.

8. Anyways back to the craft. I encourage you to get a qualification because journalism is more than just reporting. It’s a craft & an art that needs practice & training. Otherwise you will harm yourself & others. And frankly you won't make much from it / grow a name while at it.

9. A qualification is only a small part. Journalism is about networks. Many people who loved my work / still do tend to point out to 16-17. I was privileged to predict the coup, to expose several multi-million dollar dirty deals & to run good investigations on Khuluma Afrika.

10. Getting employed as a journalist is difficult. There are only so many newspapers and radio / TV stations.

Graduates from one Uni can fill up posts at these in one day leaving hundreds stranded. So how do you cut it & make it?

You network. You write. You write. You write.

11. My 1st story was published in 2007. I only got my first ever payment for a story in December 2014 & that was from Zimbabwe Mail. 7 years of writing & I got $50. But writing for TIS, Zimbabwe Mail, Newsday, New Zimbabwe, Nehanda & doing gigs for Power FM, SaFm, CBSNY & others-

12. -got my foot in the door. It is sad but it’s just how the industry works.

Once I had my foot in - I was able to impress with my work & contacts.

Not only was I good at what I did, but I could call pretty much any Minister & they would answer my phone = access to stories!

13. If you considering journalism - start by writing, free. Get a by-line. It gives you something that money cannot buy = a portfolio. Start cultivating relationships. Every person you meet is a potential opportunity. Make contacts. Speak to people. Don't ask for money or help.

14. I also must stress the importance of finding your niche & your style. Don't look to write like Maynard or Leroy Dzenga. (& our writing is polar). Find your own style. Polish it. Become good at it. Become the best. If you have skills + education + network = you'll make it.

15. I get that things are tough & some can't afford school. If you can't, then take Online Courses. Allison offers free diplomas in Journalism. If you wish to follow my method of Journalism + IT so you run your own thing then UO People offers free IT degrees for Africans too.

16. There are places like Code Academy as well, where you learn handy information. YouTube is also a great place too. Am saying all this because the most valuable thing is skills. I have tried to start media companies twice in Zim, staffing was always an issue - we had to train.

17. Although the ventures stalled for other reasons (and I will get into these later) - staffing was always a problem. The gap in terms of ability to produce quick high quality copy was an issue. & I wasn't the only one. It was widespread.

18. We must mention the elephant in the room too. Salaries for journos in Zim are low. So all this effort you will put is potentially for a low paying job. And if you become a political reporter - its also a thankless job that will attract more insults than $$ for you. So how?

19. The way that I suggest would be to self publish. After earning your stripes (school & work) - set up your own platform. Don't aim to be a Herald / Chronicle. I tried it twice, invested thousands, lost the money. Go small, concentrate on your niche. There is money to be made.

20. You can comfortably & with no Herculean effort, make at least 5 figures USDs from Google, if you know what you are doing, and have the energy to run a niche site. I'll show how it pays in next thread.