South African media marked two junctures this week — one at the tech high-end of the industry; the other related to traditional small-town newspapers.
In the first case, an innovative website was launched to cover the National Arts Festival under way in Grahamstown. The medium carries print, pictures, video, audio and multimedia reports on the 10-day festival. This 360-degree coverage is being done by staff and students of the New Media Lab in the Rhodes University journalism school (of which I am the head).
The output makes for a comprehensive record of the huge cultural energy in Grahamstown over the period. Click on any text story, and chances are that there will also be links to related information in image or sound on the site.
There is also what Vincent Maher, site creator and new media lecturer, calls ”99% live coverage”. He gives the example of having spotting famous dramatist John Kani in a local cafÃ