The Association of Independent Publishers wins full sweep of Nat Nakasa Courageous Journalism and Steve Wrottesley Media Industry Awards
On Saturday, the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) announced the winners of the Nat Nakasa Awards for Courageous Journalism 2023. The awards recognise fearlessness, courage and a commitment to servicing South African citizens against the odds. The Stephen Wrottesley Award recognises exceptional commitment to the building of the media industry in the country.
The Association of Independent Publishers is delighted to announce that all the awards were won by our members.
The Nat Nakasa Award for Media Integrity was presented to GroundUp journalists, Daniel Steyn and Marecia Damons. The Nat Nakasa Award for Community Media went to Anton van Zyl, the publisher of the Limpopo Mirror and the Zoutpansberger. Further the Stephen Wrottesley award was presented to Dunisani Ntsanwisi, publisher of the Nthavhela newspaper in Limpopo, board member of AIP and Chairperson of Sanef’s sub-committee on community media.
AIP salutes the winners of these awards. We are heartened that small independent community media publishers are being recognised for their courage and commitment to the industry. We believe that the awards show the overall importance of independent community journalism to South Africa’s media eco-system and we believe community media journalism is powerful as it is:
- One of the most diverse sectors of the media in terms of language and content.
- Covers areas of the country that no other media cover, other than SABC radio.
- Has the closest and most intimate relationship with its audiences.
- Builds communities from the bottom up.
- Holds local power brokers (government and business) to account.
- Is critical to SA democracy because it ensures that we know what is happening across our country – not just what is happening in the major metropoles.
We thank the judges for their support and for recognising our worth.
Background to AIP
The Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) is a membership-based association started in 2005 that represents grassroots community newspapers (both online and print) across the country.
We have just under 200 active AIP members that publish 2.6 million copies per month (reaching close to 8 million readers).
AIP member publications are distinct from mainstream media owned by the large media groups like Media 24, Independent, Caxton and Arena – our publishers are based in the communities they serve.
AIP members publish primarily in townships, rural areas and small towns in all our 11 official languages. They service a diverse range of interests including news, current affairs, business, the arts, education and the sciences.
For more information please contact:
Mbali Dhlomo – AIP chairperson – 083 466 0027
Kate Skinner – AIP Executive Director – 082 926 6404
