Jacquie Golding-Duffy
THE Mail & Guardian 1996 Student Media Award for the best student newspaper was won by the University of Cape Town for its publication, Varsity. The newspaper won as it offered “the most diverse look at campus life”, with stories of the state of resident housing and controversies on campus.
The judges included M&G co-founder Irwin Manoim (now head of the daily eM&G) and two representatives from the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, Cheryl Carpenter and Tisha Steyn.
Together the judges found that Varsity used several different journalistic forms ranging from question and answer during interviews with university officials and vox-pops with students to articles on issues of race.
The best upcoming student newspaper was Agitate, Liberal Students Society from Wits University, for its simple but effective black and white front covers and the accomplished handling of long features and witty cartoons by students. Agitate also showed real editing, graphic and writing flair.
The award for best student journalist went to Carien du Plessis of Die Matie, University of Stellenbosch. Du Plessis writes both in English and Afrikaans and the judges found her articles well-researched and informative.
Magriet Theron of Die Perdeby, University of Pretoria, won the best student photographer award for versatility and her ability to manage a variety of different types of pictures, including news, arts and portraiture.