Wednesday, 28 July 2021: In recent years, there has been several surveys and research conducted on how more communities rely on their local news and seek to instantly find out what is happening around their surroundings, before casting an eye on national, continental and international news.
This has largely been prompted by communities heavily interested in seeing how the future of their children, greater family, neighbours and community are portrayed in the local media, whether through positive stories, newsworthy ones, heroism and those exposing malfeasance.
It is then not surprising that Quick Acts Consultancy Services (Quick Acts), in partnership with its communications partner, Decode Communications (Decode), are happy to announce this year’s improved edition of the North West Media Awards with the new brand identity.
The awards, with the central dictum of “collaboration is the new innovation,” are aimed at recognising some of the Platinum Province’s most enterprising, determined, talented and truth-seeking journalists that have managed to work under difficult circumstances, including lack of resources, threats to their lives, discouragement and the negative financial circumstances brought by Covid-19.
The awards are not merely about a night of handing out certificates, but more centred around value creation and proposition for stakeholders, partners and sponsors across the province and nationally, who are keen on working closely with members of the Fourth Estate, while recognising the work they do in their communities, and the positive spin offs associated with working with local residents, such as vested interests in community and youth development.
“The theme of the awards is Recognising Passion. We aim to recognise that when it comes to our media professionals. This new brand reveal is solely intended to portray how these awards are evolving, in line with not only national standards, but also taking a cue from our international colleagues that continue to honour those in the media,” said Ananias Ndlovu, Director of Quick Acts.
Together with his team at Quick Acts, Ndlovu said they conceptualised the awards to be a greater stepping stone to not only journalistic excellence in the province, but also to look further as they seek to cement partnerships, vastly interested in the upkeep of media excellence in the North West province and beyond.
Lorato Tshenkeng, founder and CEO of Decode Communications, said: “We are a collaborating partner because of our driven passion in seeing journalism celebrated. The new look of the awards is beyond mere images and icons, but more about showcasing various journalistic talents cutting across beats such as science, tech, general news, sports, entertainment and the arts.”
Tshenkeng further elaborated that South Africa has in recent years seen a huge spike of journalists exposing corruption, something that has also become common practice with journalists in the North West.
The award organisers are calling on both public and private stakeholder to rally behind this great initiative, hosted in a province close to Gauteng’s economic hubs such as Tshwane and Johannesburg, and also a gateway in regional economic collaboration with Botswana and Namibia.
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