Mail & Guardian
Encyclopedia
The Mail & Guardian is a South Africa
n weekly newspaper, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg
, South Africa
, with a strong focus on politics, government, the environment, civil society and business.
and Sunday Express.
The paper, originally known as the Weekly Mail, was launched on a shoe-string budget of R50 000 (about $7 000), and relied for its survival on the often unpaid labour of a small staff and part-time volunteers. The early shareholders were liberal professionals, academics and business leaders who contributed a few thousand rands each as a gesture towards maintaining a tradition of critical journalism in an increasingly harsh political climate.
Since the fledgling company could not afford to buy mainstream technology, the paper was produced entirely on personal computers, becoming one of the world's earliest examples of Apple Macintosh-based desktop publishing
.
During the Eighties, the Weekly Mail built up an international reputation as a vocal apartheid critic, leading to a number of clashes with the government that culminated in the paper's suspension in 1988.
The paper became important to people interested in South African politics, and it built up a readership ranging from the still-jailed Nelson Mandela
and the exiled African National Congress
(ANC) leadership to key foreign policy decision-makers in Washington
, London
and Bonn
. An article in the Weekly Mail describing plans for secret talks with the ANC, precipated the resignation of apartheid president PW Botha
.
In an era when newspapers routinely vilified the ANC and its leaders as "terrorists", this was the first paper to put human faces to ANC leaders and provide balanced accounts of their activities and policies. It was also the first to discuss sympathetically such "fringe" issues as environmentalism, gay liberation and gender.
It was the first paper whose news selection was colour-blind. All South African newspapers of the 1980s were aimed at racially defined markets, either black (Sowetan) or white (Business Day
). Those newspapers that did reach black and white audiences (such as The Star
, or The Rand Daily Mail
) provided separate "white" and "township" editions.
It was also the first newspaper to cover the emerging indigenous culture that arose in the early non-racial bars in central Johannesburg
such as Jameson's, Kippies and the Black Sun; the fringe cabaret; and "cross-over" music.
In 1991, the Weekly Mail, together with The Guardian
in London, broke the "Inkathagate" scandal, which described how police funds were being secretly channelled to the Inkatha Freedom Party
to block the ANC. Two Cabinet ministers fell from grace in the wake of the scandal and the weakened National Party
government of FW de Klerk was obliged to reopen its stalled talks with the ANC.
Inkathagate was also the beginning of a closer relationship between the Weekly Mail and The Guardian, which bought a large share in the Weekly Mail and helped stabilise the small paper's precarious finances for the first time. In 1995, The Guardian became the majority shareholder in the paper, which was renamed the Mail & Guardian.
With the arrival of democratic government in 1994, many observers predicted that the Mail & Guardian would lose its purpose – and its voice. But it has adapted, and average circulation has gone up from about 25 000 a week to between 40 000 and 50 000 per week. Its jumbo year-end Christmas edition, renowned for its extensive report cards on all ministers in the Cabinet, sells almost double that.
The newspaper has demonstrated it is capable of being no less critical of the new dispensation than the old, without deviating from its former humanist philosophy. It is now mostly well known for its investigative reporting, particularly into corruption.
The arts section, titled Friday contains features and reviews as well as general entertainment listings. Its Monitor section focuses on good governance and social development. It also carries international and Africa news and a current business section.
The paper has also found international credibility, winning the British IPD Best International Newspaper Award in 1995, and the Missouri Medal for Distinguished Journalism in 1996.
In 2002, The Guardian reduced its shareholding to 10%, selling a majority share in the newspaper of 87,5% to Newtrust Company Botswana Limited, owned by Zimbabwean publisher and entrepreneur Trevor Ncube
. Having relocated to South Africa, Ncube also took over as CEO of the company.
The Mail & Guardian newspaper and Mail & Guardian Online (see below) position themselves in the market as South Africa's quality read, aimed at the intelligentsia. The paper has been criticised for being expensive and ignoring its roots in the alternative press.
The newspaper's headquarters are in Rosebank, Johannesburg
, with smaller bureaux in Durban
and Cape Town
. The editor of the Mail & Guardian is Nicholas Dawes
and the CEO is Hoosain Karjieker.
(a subsidiary of the Naspers
group), becoming the first internet news publication in Africa
.
The Mail & Guardian Online is managed by Chris Roper. It is run out of the Mail & Guardian offices in Rosebank
, Johannesburg
.
The site has a monthly readership of about 650 000 unique users and 5 100 000 page impressions, from South Africa and around the world. It is one of South Africa's top five news sites.
The website began its life as the Electronic Mail & Guardian, which was initially an e-mail subscription service that allowed readers living outside South Africa's borders to receive Mail & Guardian newspaper stories hours before reaching the newspaper's subscribers. Soon after, the service expanded into a searchable online archive, published in partnership with Sangonet, the country's oldest internet service provider. A website was added, which in turn progressed from producing a weekly mirror of the printed newspaper to generating its own daily news.
The Mail & Guardian Online was jointly owned by internet service provider MWEB
and publishing company M&G Media until MG Media purchased 100% of the operation in 2008.
The Mail & Guardian Online works closely with the newspaper, but has its own dedicated editorial staff to produce breaking news on a daily basis to complement the analytical, in-depth feature articles from the newspaper. It has national, international, Africa, business and sports news, as well as arts and entertainment coverage.
It has interactive news photo galleries, discussion forums and special reports on subjects such as Zimbabwe
, HIV
and controversial South African President Jacob Zuma
. It also features regular cartoons by acclaimed South African political cartoonist Zapiro
.
The Mail & Guardian Online has received numerous accolades and awards, including receiving a Webby
honourable mention in 2005 and being voted one of the world's top 175 websites by Forbes.com in 2001.
On 26 January, the Mail & Guardian Website was attacked by hackers, and the editor posted the following on the Mail & Guardian Domain:- "Dear Mail & Guardian reader; The Mail & Guardian's website is under sustained attack by hackers. We are dealing with the problem, but to make absolutely sure that your security isn't compromised, we have decided to suspend the service temporarily. It's a drastic measure, but we really don't want to take any chances with security. We apologise for this interruption of service. We'll be back as soon as we have made certain that the problem has been effectively dealt with. We'll continue to update you as soon as we have news. Christopher Roper, Editor (Online)"
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n weekly newspaper, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, with a strong focus on politics, government, the environment, civil society and business.
The Mail & Guardian newspaper
The newspaper was initially started as an alternative newspaper by a group of journalists in 1985 after the closures of two leading liberal newspapers, The Rand Daily MailThe Rand Daily Mail
The Rand Daily Mail was a Johannesburg daily newspaper with an anti-apartheid bias that broke the news about the apartheid state's Muldergate Scandal in 1979.- History :...
and Sunday Express.
The paper, originally known as the Weekly Mail, was launched on a shoe-string budget of R50 000 (about $7 000), and relied for its survival on the often unpaid labour of a small staff and part-time volunteers. The early shareholders were liberal professionals, academics and business leaders who contributed a few thousand rands each as a gesture towards maintaining a tradition of critical journalism in an increasingly harsh political climate.
Since the fledgling company could not afford to buy mainstream technology, the paper was produced entirely on personal computers, becoming one of the world's earliest examples of Apple Macintosh-based desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
.
During the Eighties, the Weekly Mail built up an international reputation as a vocal apartheid critic, leading to a number of clashes with the government that culminated in the paper's suspension in 1988.
The paper became important to people interested in South African politics, and it built up a readership ranging from the still-jailed Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and the exiled African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
(ANC) leadership to key foreign policy decision-makers in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
. An article in the Weekly Mail describing plans for secret talks with the ANC, precipated the resignation of apartheid president PW Botha
Pieter Willem Botha
Pieter Willem Botha , commonly known as "P. W." and Die Groot Krokodil , was the prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and the first executive state president from 1984 to 1989.First elected to Parliament in 1948, Botha was for eleven years head of the Afrikaner National Party and the...
.
In an era when newspapers routinely vilified the ANC and its leaders as "terrorists", this was the first paper to put human faces to ANC leaders and provide balanced accounts of their activities and policies. It was also the first to discuss sympathetically such "fringe" issues as environmentalism, gay liberation and gender.
It was the first paper whose news selection was colour-blind. All South African newspapers of the 1980s were aimed at racially defined markets, either black (Sowetan) or white (Business Day
Business Day (South Africa)
Business Day is a daily national business newspaper published in Johannesburg, South Africa....
). Those newspapers that did reach black and white audiences (such as The Star
The Star (South Africa)
The Star is a daily newspaper based in Gauteng, South Africa. It has a readership of 840 000 and is owned by Independent News & Media. It gained worldwide attention in 2006 when it published survey results according to which about twenty percent of South African men have raped a woman in...
, or The Rand Daily Mail
The Rand Daily Mail
The Rand Daily Mail was a Johannesburg daily newspaper with an anti-apartheid bias that broke the news about the apartheid state's Muldergate Scandal in 1979.- History :...
) provided separate "white" and "township" editions.
It was also the first newspaper to cover the emerging indigenous culture that arose in the early non-racial bars in central Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
such as Jameson's, Kippies and the Black Sun; the fringe cabaret; and "cross-over" music.
In 1991, the Weekly Mail, together with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
in London, broke the "Inkathagate" scandal, which described how police funds were being secretly channelled to the Inkatha Freedom Party
Inkatha Freedom Party
The Inkatha Freedom Party is a political party in South Africa. Since its founding, it has been led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. It is currently the fourth largest party in the National Assembly of South Africa.-History:...
to block the ANC. Two Cabinet ministers fell from grace in the wake of the scandal and the weakened National Party
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
government of FW de Klerk was obliged to reopen its stalled talks with the ANC.
Inkathagate was also the beginning of a closer relationship between the Weekly Mail and The Guardian, which bought a large share in the Weekly Mail and helped stabilise the small paper's precarious finances for the first time. In 1995, The Guardian became the majority shareholder in the paper, which was renamed the Mail & Guardian.
With the arrival of democratic government in 1994, many observers predicted that the Mail & Guardian would lose its purpose – and its voice. But it has adapted, and average circulation has gone up from about 25 000 a week to between 40 000 and 50 000 per week. Its jumbo year-end Christmas edition, renowned for its extensive report cards on all ministers in the Cabinet, sells almost double that.
The newspaper has demonstrated it is capable of being no less critical of the new dispensation than the old, without deviating from its former humanist philosophy. It is now mostly well known for its investigative reporting, particularly into corruption.
The arts section, titled Friday contains features and reviews as well as general entertainment listings. Its Monitor section focuses on good governance and social development. It also carries international and Africa news and a current business section.
The paper has also found international credibility, winning the British IPD Best International Newspaper Award in 1995, and the Missouri Medal for Distinguished Journalism in 1996.
In 2002, The Guardian reduced its shareholding to 10%, selling a majority share in the newspaper of 87,5% to Newtrust Company Botswana Limited, owned by Zimbabwean publisher and entrepreneur Trevor Ncube
Trevor Ncube
Trevor Vusumuzi Ncube is a Zimbabwean entrepreneur and newspaper publisher now living in South Africa.Ncube was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe...
. Having relocated to South Africa, Ncube also took over as CEO of the company.
The Mail & Guardian newspaper and Mail & Guardian Online (see below) position themselves in the market as South Africa's quality read, aimed at the intelligentsia. The paper has been criticised for being expensive and ignoring its roots in the alternative press.
The newspaper's headquarters are in Rosebank, Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, with smaller bureaux in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
and Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. The editor of the Mail & Guardian is Nicholas Dawes
Nicholas Dawes
Nicholas Dawes was born in Cape Town and finished his schooling in Canada. He is currently the Editor-in-chief of the Mail & Guardian.-Life and career:...
and the CEO is Hoosain Karjieker.
Mail & Guardian readers
It focuses on a niche market of people interested in a critical approach to politics, arts and current affairs. A large numbers of readers are among professionals, academics, diplomats, lobbyists, non-governmental groups.Mail & Guardian focus
The Mail & Guardian newspaper focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, comprehensive coverage of local arts, music and popular culture.The Mail & Guardian Online
In 1994, the Mail & Guardian Online was launched in conjunction with Media24Media24
Media24 is the print media arm of the South African media company Naspers. It controls Naspers' newspaper and magazine Southern African publishing as well as printing activities but also includes the internet activities of the 24.com collection of web portals...
(a subsidiary of the Naspers
Naspers
Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media and print media Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media (including pay-television, internet and instant-messaging subscriber...
group), becoming the first internet news publication in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
The Mail & Guardian Online is managed by Chris Roper. It is run out of the Mail & Guardian offices in Rosebank
Rosebank, Gauteng
Rosebank is a cosmopolitan commercial and residential suburb in the northwestern part of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region 3, and will be the location of a Gautrain station in 2011....
, Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
.
The site has a monthly readership of about 650 000 unique users and 5 100 000 page impressions, from South Africa and around the world. It is one of South Africa's top five news sites.
The website began its life as the Electronic Mail & Guardian, which was initially an e-mail subscription service that allowed readers living outside South Africa's borders to receive Mail & Guardian newspaper stories hours before reaching the newspaper's subscribers. Soon after, the service expanded into a searchable online archive, published in partnership with Sangonet, the country's oldest internet service provider. A website was added, which in turn progressed from producing a weekly mirror of the printed newspaper to generating its own daily news.
The Mail & Guardian Online was jointly owned by internet service provider MWEB
MWEB
MWEB is a South Africa's second largest Internet Service Provider founded in 1997. As of March 2011 it has approximately 350 000 subscribers...
and publishing company M&G Media until MG Media purchased 100% of the operation in 2008.
The Mail & Guardian Online works closely with the newspaper, but has its own dedicated editorial staff to produce breaking news on a daily basis to complement the analytical, in-depth feature articles from the newspaper. It has national, international, Africa, business and sports news, as well as arts and entertainment coverage.
It has interactive news photo galleries, discussion forums and special reports on subjects such as Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and controversial South African President Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
. It also features regular cartoons by acclaimed South African political cartoonist Zapiro
Zapiro
Jonathan Shapiro, born 1958 in Cape Town, is a South African cartoonist, famous as Zapiro, whose work appears in numerous South African publications and has been exhibited internationally on many occasions...
.
The Mail & Guardian Online has received numerous accolades and awards, including receiving a Webby
Webby Awards
A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
honourable mention in 2005 and being voted one of the world's top 175 websites by Forbes.com in 2001.
On 26 January, the Mail & Guardian Website was attacked by hackers, and the editor posted the following on the Mail & Guardian Domain:- "Dear Mail & Guardian reader; The Mail & Guardian's website is under sustained attack by hackers. We are dealing with the problem, but to make absolutely sure that your security isn't compromised, we have decided to suspend the service temporarily. It's a drastic measure, but we really don't want to take any chances with security. We apologise for this interruption of service. We'll be back as soon as we have made certain that the problem has been effectively dealt with. We'll continue to update you as soon as we have news. Christopher Roper, Editor (Online)"
Mail & Guardian Online readers
The Mail & Guardian Online has a broad-based readership of South Africans and Africans who prefer their news delivered fast and daily and South Africans abroad, tourists and foreigners with a special interest in Africa.Mail & Guardian Online focus
The Mail & Guardian Online focuses on local, international and African hard news, sport and business; publishing analytical, in-depth reports from its print edition.Awards
- 1995 - British IPD Best International Newspaper Award
- 1996 - Missouri Medal for Distinguished Journalism
- 2001 - Forbes.com voted the Mail & Guardian Online one of the world's top 175 websites
- 2005 - Webby Worthy honourable mention.
See also
- List of newspapers in South Africa