Back to the future

With or without Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Zimbabwe is not at a point where it can sink no further. Zaire under Mobutu Sese Seko, Uganda in the aftermath of Idi Amin, genocide in Rwanda, and the civil wars of Liberia and Sierra Leone all stand as examples of what could still come.

'The paper with the guts to tell the truth'

"This is a newspaper that has been banned, has been closed down, has been sued. The Mail & Guardian bears the scars of a difficult childhood. The broad outlines of the history ought to be known to you. And if they are not known to you, you obviously have not been watching Hard Copy on SABC TV," said Irwin Manoim, one of the M&G's founding editors, at the newspaper's 20th anniversary celebrations on Thursday.

Keeping the dream alive

When past editor Mondli Makhanya left the Mail & Guardian, he left behind these thoughts.

A 21st-century M&G

In going forward, the M&G must look backward, writes editor Ferial Haffajee.

Print is dead. The digital revolution continues

Weekly Mail staff were charting new waters when they created the first electronically produced newspaper.

Earth issue

The M&G's "green team" has taken on environmental issues with the same vigour as the paper tackles human-rights abuses, writes Fiona Macleod.

Forging the media's new guard

Weekly Mail recruits were poverty stricken, persecuted and despised, writes Anton Harber, but those who stayed afloat are now shaping the news.

'We won't advertise in your commie rag'

Former Weekly Mail advertising executive Marilyn Honikman recalls flogging ad space in the early days of the newspaper.

A celebration of 20 exceptional years in journalism

On June 14 1985, just six weeks after the death of the Rand Daily Mail, the first edition of the Weekly Mail rolled off the presses.

Never just a newzzzpaper

Former editor Howard Barrell reflects on a time of sometimes painful transition at the M&G.

'I remember them when ...'

"Interns came from all walks of life, with their own histories, bringing different life experiences to the courses, holding conflicting ideologies."

Anger in their ink

The Weekly Mail was the first home of the country's best cartoonists, writes Julia Beffon.

Meet our board of directors

Read more on the names at the helm of the Mail & Guardian.

'The worst crime in journalism is dullness'

Anton Harber, co-founder of The Weekly Mail, now the Mail & Guardian, answers 10 questions as the M&G celebrates 20 years.