I have a word or two…

While working at a Grocott’s Mail, a local community newspaper in quiet Grahamstown recently, a gentleman once came to the office with a story he wanted us to cover. You see, a citizen dropping by with a story for coverage is a norm in the newsroom. For some odd reason I was smelling trouble with this one. But then again, I thought to myself let me be objective, fair and open-minded. I need a story after all.

Back to my gentleman. For the purposes of this blog, we’ll call him Never. Now Never had been complaining to his ward councilor about a heap of rubbish left in front of his house by his fellow neighbours. And the problem had persisted for a few years – three to be precise. 

“Grocott’s Mail is my last stop, because I’ve told my ward councilor several times about this to no vail. I want you to take this matter up with the premier, Mbulelo Sogoni. And also tell him (Sogoni) that I want to open a cop shop and run it in my neighborhood because crime is rife there,” he sighed. “By telling you all of this and even dragging the provincial head into our little community’s problems am I not asking for trouble,” he asked me. 

 

The look that followed in my face said it all. Perplexed, pitiful and helpless. Yes, helpless because I didn’t know what to say next to someone who wants me to fight his community battles and perplexed because honestly, I’m just a journalist. Nothing more and nothing less! To cut a very long tale short, for the next couple of days, I had to bare daily unannounced visits from Never who came to see my progress with the story and see if I had contacted the office of the premier to request his cop shop. I did write the story though, but calling the premier was just beyond what I could do.

 

You are probably asking yourself “Women, the the point you are trying to make here is?”

Well, I’m also trying to figure out if citizens cannot be given the chance to tell their own stories. A chance to tell issues that are of public interest to them, especially to their communities. Rubbish heap left opposite a house might not sound newsworthy to a mainstream journalist writing for a national audience, but it certainly bothers the disgruntled residents of the small community from Joza in Grahamstown.

 

The media, especially at local level- community newspapers and radios- should start being accessible to ordinary citizens so that they can use it to address issues that affect their communities. There’s a crowd out there using all forms of mediums accessible to distribute information that is relevant to them. And I’m afraid, it seems as though the mainstream media is not picking this up. Or is it just ignoring these trends?

Instead, the media should be offering resources where citizens can learn discover and participate in media within their small communities. Times have certainly changed. And how we tell our community stories as well as what we tell also needs to change….

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