James Lamont tells Jacquie Golding-Duffy that fellow editors cannot afford not to take him seriously, despite his age
He is young and overly cautious, say some. Others argue that his track record is unimpressive and does not qualify him to sit at the helm of Business Report. But 28- year-old James Lamont, the newly appointed editor of The Star’s business section, says South African journalism has always been his goal, and his career path has consisted of stepping stones towards that goal.
Lamont is the product of a private school – Winchester College, Britain, followed by the University of York, with a post- graduate degree in Southern African studies in 1991.
His curriculum vitae includes a stint on the Middle East Times in Cairo, which, he admits, was “not a large publication”, boasting a staff of not more than 15. He has also worked as a stringer for Opec news agency and a retail/consumer magazine, Link, in the south of England.
His list of achievements in the UK also include working for the Labour Party: “I was the election press officer for a small constituency,” he says.
Why did he not serve on a British national newspaper before leaving? “I just never applied. My career is taking a logical path. I have had a sustained interest in Africa and South Africa and that is why I am here. The Middle East Times was a stepping stone to get where I am today.
“At a young age I left Britain to come to Africa and worked in Namibia as an economics teacher for a non-governmental organisation.”
Lamont’s first job on arrival in South Africa in 1995 was business editor at Finance Week, followed by a move to Business Report where he was industrial editor. He served a term of one year before his promotion. He sits in the stark office occupied until recently by his predecessor, Peter Bruce, now Financial Mail editor.
One cannot help but compare Lamont to his predecessors: Bruce, a respected financial journalist and former home desk editor at the Financial Times, and Jim Smith, Business Report’s first editor, a highly acclaimed journalist, writer and foreign correspondent.
Lamont is believed to be Bruce’s appointment, an ironic scenario involving a rival editor exerting influence among the big boys at the Independent Group.
With six years’ experience in journalism, Lamont says he hopes his colleagues will judge him on merit rather than prejudge him because of his age.
However, despite his projected confidence, he cannot help constantly referring to Bruce.
“As Peter always says, this newspaper has a robust financial team which will keep it at the forefront of business news,” states Lamont, adding that although journalists on the team are young, they certainly are not novices.
Lamont says his age should not be seen as a handicap but an asset.
“It is not unusual in Britain to appoint young editors and this newspaper is young and vibrant which makes it appropriate that they should have chosen me,” he says, hand on hip.
“The appointment of young editors is a trend which is likely to take off in South Africa alongside the shake-up of business titles and the constant change of owners. Business Report has been marketing itself as an innovative publication and the group needed someone at the helm who reflects that.”
He says he regards his editorship as a “challenge”, adding that Bruce has “taught me a lot”.
On the issue of fellow editors’ attitude towards him, Lamont says: “Editors at rival publications cannot afford not to take me seriously. The fact that I have been appointed as editor makes it clear that Independent’s management takes me seriously. My job is to take this publication into the next era.”
Lamont will be in charge of 48 staffers and does not seem intimidated by the task at hand. But some seasoned editors say he should be.
Although the business journal is believed to have played a role in upgrading the Independent Group’s carrier newspapers in Gauteng and other regions, Lamont is faced with the challenge of ensuring that its position is consolidated and that it does not buckle from the competition of Times Media Limited’s rival Business Day, recently taken aboard by the Pearsons group and its daily, the London Financial Times.
Some veteran editors argue that Lamont should have been allowed the time to nurture the “instinct” and “good judgement” that come with several years in the profession. However, as one editor pointed out: “William Pitt [the younger] was made prime minister of Britain at the young age of 21” – although another countered that Pitt was a product of the 18th century, not the 20th.
There is some tension brewing at Independent Newspapers with former colleagues of Lamont alleging it is inappropriate that a foreigner be chosen to head Business Report when the group has been punting its fast-tracking course for black and female journalists.
However, Lamont argues that he is not a foreigner. With a South African mother and a grandfather who was an industrialist from Vereeniging, Lamont is confident that he qualifies for the position: “I would like to stress that I am half South African.”
Should critics want to argue that he was not born and bred locally, Lamont challenges them, arguing that a fresh eye will serve the publication well since locals are not as observant, often seeing events through tired eyes.
He contends that should a foreigner have been brought in (the group’s deputy chief executive, Ivan Fallon, flew to London to scout for new talent) then “the newsroom would have had to gear itself towards being accustomed to an outsider. Instead I know them and they know me.”
Lamont’s permanent residency is not in order but he is applying for citizenship. He says he hopes to enjoy dual citizenship and that the matter should be wrapped up by month-end.
“Business Report’s deputy, for the moment, remains John Spira,” says Lamont. Spira has twice been overlooked for the editorship.
On the affirmative action front, Lamont says one in five journalists are black and he wants to improve that quota. “I want to encourage more black reporters to join the group. More black juniors need to be recruited and within two years they must be trained to be accomplished and respected names in the industry,” he says.
Gauteng Newspapers managing director Deon du Plessis says Lamont has his eye firmly fixed on the 21st century and is a confident chap. “Besides that, our appointment has broken the mould that only long-serving members will get the post of editor.”
On the issue of fast-tracking and the lack of black and female editors, Du Plessis argued that the fast-tracking course at Harvard University last year was to encourage reporters to be “active” within the stable. “It was not a guarantee towards an editorship.”