MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Mossel Bay Advertiser came third in the category, Best Newspaper (corporate-owned, paid for, circulation less than 10 000) at this year's Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) Excellence Awards.
The awards were held in Pretoria last Friday, 29 June. The Advertiser was referred to at the awards as being among the "heavyweights". The category in which it came third, was won by the Somerset West newspaper, District Mail.
Mossel Bay Advertiser journalist Cornelle Carstens was named among the top ten in the category for best regular column for her weekly piece, Kantlyn/Margin.
Hugo Redelinghuys, the sports editor at the George Herald, came second in the category of sports journalism. He was also a finalist in the best general news photo section and was placed fifth in the best sport photo section.
Redelinghuys was also unanimously elected as new executive director of the FCJ for the next two years.
The gala event at the Leriba Hotel and Spa was attended by 100 selected guests and finalists. This year, there was an increase of 20% in the number of entries received, the convener of the panel of judges, Fanie Groenewald, confirmed.
About 130 journalists from more than 80 local newspapers in all nine provinces entered this year. This included entries from Caxton Local Media, Media24, Cape Community Newspapers and members of the Association of Independent Newspapers.
Groenewald said the judges' general impression was that local newspapers are "very much alive in South Africa and serving their communities well".
The judges' panel for the best writing category was chaired by veteran Joe Thloloe, a widely respected newsman, who was the first black journalist at the Rand Daily Mail when the publication started its township edition in 1962.
Editor of the Mossel Bay Advertiser Suzette Herrer, journalist Cornelle Carstens and Paula Best during a light-hearted moment at the Oscar-themed FCJ Excellence Awards last week.
At the gala event, Thloloe was honoured for his contribution to journalism. Known for his humility, upon accepting his award, he simply said: "I am surprised when we as journalists get honoured for doing what we are supposed to be doing. We are the conscience of our nation. We cannot be honoured for that." Other judges in the writing category included Henry Jeffreys, Fanie Groenewald, Thalyta Swanepoel, Virginia Keppler and Cornia Pretorius.
The best digital reporting category was judged by Izak Minaar and Dinesh Blliah, with Roger Sedres, Charief Jaffer and Leon Muller judging the photography category.
Hugo Redelinghuys (right), newly-elected executive chair of the FCJ, gave Joe Thloloe, the current chair of the panel of judges for the FCJ Excellence Awards, a framed cartoon of Thloloe. He was given lifelong membership of the FCJ. Photo: Isabel Venter
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