By Selloane Ntshonyane
- Deputy Minister Kenny Morolong warned a Hyde Park meeting on Wednesday that local papers are closing over severe money problems.
- The government gives money to small publishers but local news groups are bleeding cash while readers flock to social media.
Smartphones and fast internet are choking local news in South Africa. Money is running dry and forcing community newspapers to shut their doors.
Readers are ditching traditional printed papers for global social media platforms. They now share and comment on the news online instead of buying a local paper.
This massive shift is starving traditional media houses of cash. Many local publications face heavy financial pressure and are shutting down or cutting back on their printing. News groups are trying new business models to survive, but progress is too slow.
Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong spoke about the crisis at a Hyde Park meeting on Wednesday. He told a Media Development and Diversity Agency breakfast that local news needs saving.
“A good deal of what we know about our world, we know because of journalism,” Morolong said.
He said community radio stations and local papers give people a voice. They play a vital role in the country’s democracy.
The agency started in 2003 to help community media. It hands out grant funding and training to small news businesses. But the agency struggles because it has limited public money to share across many struggling projects.
Morolong said the government has a 30% funding policy to pump money into community media. He thanked funders for stepping in to keep local news alive.
“None of it would be possible without partnerships,” he said.
The Wednesday event pulled together government officials and funders to figure out a survival plan for local media.
Pictured above: Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong speaking at a Media Development and Diversity Agency breakfast on Wednesday.
Image source: File
