Almost everyone has access to the answer to any question they have in their pocket. Before smartphones, newspapers, television and radio would check and channel information. So, unless government censored information or the ownership of the outlet had strong biases, people could believe what they read, heard and saw.
The job of journalism with the support of various self-correcting mechanisms serve to ensure that information relayed is true, and if mistakes are made, they are corrected.
Now, so so many channels of information
There are currently 1.14 billion websites in the world and 2.85 billion users on Facebook that access the platform at least once a month
Many sources of news are not accurate, with deliberately false or mistakenly false information. People who access these incorrect claims often are not aware that they are untrue. There is a trust factor involved when a friend sends you information. But, think about your friends, are they really checking the information they post?
As you and everyone else you reposts content that is entertaining, but untrue, misinformation spreads further. If something is untrue, most of those who see it will never find out. You probably know someone who has developed ahistorical or unscientific beliefs through internet sources.
You may have heard the saying or one like it, “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on”. This dates back to the 1800s at least (with various versions from different sources). Imagine how far lies can get now almost instantly.
Trustworthy sources of news
Although you can access all this information from your phone everywhere, in South Africa, there are 18 national newspapers in the country. There are other forms of media too, of course, like the SABC, which is our public broadcaster, community-owned media and commercial media of different sizes and geographical coverage.
And journalism is crucial. “Journalism exists to serve society. Ethical journalism promotes an active citizenry and supports the fabric of our democracy,” says Paula Fray
Journalistic sources should be those you can trust, because they are written or created by professionals able to check the facts.
But, just like the rest of us, journalists are bombarded with misinformation, and need to check it in an instant. With lots of misinformation, it is harder and harder to create check the facts and get things right.
Never before has there been a greater need for timeous, accurate and ethical news reporting. And this requires new approaches to content creation.
But is media always trustworthy?
The South African Editors Forum (SANEF) wanted to identify why journalists and publications are not as ethical as they should be. They launched the Inquiry into Media Ethics and Credibility, which resulted comprehensive, independent report on South African media. Author Judge Kathleen Satchwell identified “a shared set of systemic problems imperilling ethical conduct across the whole [South African] media landscape”.
This does not mean that all journalists, or even most journalists are unethical, but that there are various factors that make it more likely that mistakes will slip through or ethical standards may slack at times.
Later in the report, Judge Satchwell wrote that unethical reporting, is “… underpinned by a drastic reduction in training, coaching, professional development opportunities and reporter support. Despite the existence of comprehensive, nationally-accredited newsroom training curricula, formal training on anything other than the technical skills of online publishing barely functions”.
The situation looks dire, because if we can’t trust the media, who can we trust? But luckily the solution was already in the works.
The solution
Remember, journalism is a self-correcting system. Of course, it is the committed people who constantly watch for oncoming dangers and figure the solutions out that ensure it continues to correct itself.
Some of these committed people, eagle-eyed SANEF members that foresaw the gaps between what journalists need to be able to do and can.
In one of those rare times, the government was also hatching a solution to the ongoing problem that educational qualifications do not meet the needs of the country. They realised that there is a need to ensure people had, on qualification the skills needed to do the job. The QCTO was created by law in 2010 to oversee qualifications that would make you work ready.
As the brains at SANEF were trying to find a resolution to the proliferation of related qualifications that did not meet the needs of the system, the QCTO and some Setas introduced a systematic process for the industry itself to develop and standardise needed qualifications. According to the QCTO, “QCTO qualifications are demand-driven”, [developed by the] industry/profession), meaning they address the needs of the labour market.
The difference between existing and QCTO qualifications are that, “All QCTO qualifications have a work experience component that increases one’s probabilities of employability”. So, once you finish your qualification you have a portfolio and proof that you can do the work, as well as established relationships with potential employers.
Together with the support of the Fibre, Processing & Manufacturing (FP&M) Seta, industry professionals created a qualification that meets the needs of the sector.
“We agonised on each aspect of the development of the curriculum and materials.” said Dr Sandra Roberts, who was involved in the creation of the course. “This was definitely not the product of one lecturer spending one week on creating a syllabus.” she continued.
All this work culminated in 2022 with the piloting of the Occupational Certificate: Journalist at fraycollege, a journalism and communication training provider.
But is it worth your time?
Most of the old Seta qualifications are on their way out. Next year is the last year for registering for many of them. New streamlined QCTO qualifications are being launched. The Occupational Certificate: Journalist is the first media-based one, preparing learners for the modern media workplace.
“Some of the things I have learned are, journalism ethics, photography, audio stories packaging, story writing and all other important things a journalist should know especially in these digital times where the industry requires me to be multi-skilled,” says 2022 student Olebogeng Molale, Revival FM. Olebogeng had been practicing in media for seven years.
It is not only journalists and wanna-be media professionals that benefit. Increasingly, the ability to create multi-media content is the basis of building a successful career. It is necessary in almost every field in order to promote yourself or your business.
2022 students have created podcasts, TikTok videos, video news stories, live social media reporting, photographic essays, and of course written content. This is while learning the soft skills that are essential for work.
So, yes, every person who wants to be a properly prepared journalist or content creator, should invest a year of their lives to learn the crucial skills that the industry developed to equip you.
This qualification is only available at fraycollege in 2023, having gone through the arduous process of QCTO accreditation to ensure that not only the content, but the delivery of the course is of the highest quality.
Read all about it or give us a call on 011 888 0140.
For media enquiries contact Dr Sandra Roberts on 084 9000 344 or Mamaponya Motsai on 066 216 1181.
