Stranger than fiction, better than reality

By Lara van Zyl

"You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist." The quote above is from one Friedrich Nietzsche, a quote that I believe in and one that I will forever harbour in my mind when creating news. There is of course exceptions to the rule like that little thing called grammar - I cannot have my way by creating sheer gibberish only to be subject to personnel surplus reduction in due time. The world is not in black and white, and when we start to realise that there are different people within the world whom believe in different things, whom have different lifestyles etcetera to that of our own, we might just realise that although there is room for debate whether journalism can still be entirely objective, I can still try. Media is a powerful tool used today for example, I never thought of being a journalist when I was younger - I wanted to be an Archaeologist. Why? I was influenced by the film "The Mummy" when I was eight because it was like so cool man and Archaeologists looked like Rachel Weisz, they could awaken the dead and because seeing is believing, I believed it. A friend once told me that those who have been judged, are the least likely to judge and I believe in what she said. All journalism students are here for a reason and it is not for the distorted version of college life portrayed in "American Pie" for one we actually do have work, we do get tired and we don't get laid half as much as we would like to nor are we desperate enough to chase such a thing. Journalists and journalism students share interlinked criteria for their reasons for becoming a journalist. I think that many can relate to mine - I have a desire to influence for good, but I am essentially the servant of the people and the idea of defending the rights of ordinary people is a dominating factor. The desire we, as journalism students, share for knowledge is overwhelming, but we need to cultivate the necessary skills and qualities in order to do so. I have an interest in life, a love of language, belief in equality and would never withhold any information to protect the so-called "fat cats" from scandal. With the ups come the downs, but ups outweigh the downs - journalism is hard work and it requires long hours, pesky deadlines and editors whom are always on your case are never fun, but humour yourself and remain professional, after all, editors are there to help you, so there is no need to lynch them.

Changing the Focus of the Lens.

By: Wazi Kunene
Call her a critic but it is 'deviants' like her who resembles the courage to change the focus of the lens, Wazi Kunene is a first year journalism student at Rhodes Unviversity. She is a passionate writer and very concerned with journalism in the 21st centuary. She is not experienced in the feild but hopes to make this blog a learning engine specifically with students currently studying jurnalism and proffessional journalists; creating a space for a mentor-mentee enviroment. Unfortunately this blog is going to be a victim through which she will share her deepest concerns about journalism. Discussing significant issues; ranging for ethics to story production in media institutions. It will be benefiting to follow this blog, for it will be open for, interesting and provoking topics and debating on the issue of what are 'news worthy' stories and the constant focus to diruptions, why focus on negative rather than positive.

More significantly than making points this blog will be a means of questioning the systems and structures of media institutions. Further having an opinion on the news produced every day; the kind of news available for people to consume, story construction and the turning of real life events to news stories. How did journalism take a turn for being a source of informing the world of important political concerns to thick newspapers filled with depressing, provoking and scandalous news; further saying it is the reflection of the world, through the watchers of the world: journalists.

These concerns need to be raised importantly because we are in the feild of journalism and we need to be clear about the journalism we will produce. Will we be watching the world through lens that only captures the negative? Will we be having sleepless nights digging up scandals and will we be jobless if nobody dies and if politicians and celebrities stoped having affairs? We need to be critical and not narrow minded, be informed of the world we are approaching. What difference can we bring to this industry and how can we avoid our talents and passions from being shut down by restriction of 'news values'. Will we be able to speak through the daily disruptions we will be reporting on? These are among the issues we need discuss and share our opinions about.

Journalism is said to give a voice to the voiceless, the question is what voice is being is given to people of a partivular class, gender, age and race? Journalism is a highly constructed feild and we need to be prepared and consider the question, so what? In stories we are still to tell and chane the focus of the lens, it is about time.

WHATLIFE?IDOJOURN

By Camagwini Dolweni

This may not the perkiest or chirpiest blog titles, but it is real and that is what this blog, its bloggers and its followers are. Real people. Real journalists. Real students.

I am a very passionate aspiring young journalist with broad views, varied opinions and am on a mission to change the world one article at a time. I take journalism very seriously, because I believe it plays an important role in our world, not only as watchdogs or entertainment, but as a social commentator on the way we do things and why as human beings. As a young student I feel fortunate and enthusiastic about being at a journalism school that will only add fuel to my passion for it and hone my skills as a journalist.

Being a journalism student though, is not all passion and super-heroine antics, a lot of the time one needs to do a lot of admin, tuts and tests before one gets the chance to change the world. This is the ‘real’ part of being a young journalist-not always fun, but always necessary. This is why we give (with this blog) a chance for journalism students to express their views about life as a journalism student, serious issues that affect them and ultimately practising their talents.

With this blog we aim to take a tongue-in-cheek, humorous tone to life as a journalism student-the little life that a journalism student has-yet without making a mockery of the serious issues that will be discussed or posted by other journalism student bloggers. The language and style of the blog will be very colloquial, because we want to appeal to young people and personally I find that most of the time formal register seems to talking at the reader and not to the reader and this is something we want to avoid. What I really want to say in this blog is this: ““I’m young, I’m passionate and I’m just a regular person like anyone else”. So if you can relate then why not follow?