Located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, Grahamstown, a city founded in 1812 boast a population of over 120 000 people. Whites, Asians, Coloured and Blacks make up the ethnic groups of this town, that like many in South Africa, still wear the scars from Apartheid. Significant discrepancies exits, most notably the geographical separation of the White minority found in the city area, while the neighbouring townships house the Black and Coloured majorities. Rhini, the current Xhosa name for the city is also nicknamed the “City of Saints”; a nickname easy to understand considering the town is home to more than 40 religious buildings.
Grahamstown is the only city in South Africa whose primary commerce sector is that of education. It is the seat of Rhodes University as while as other high cost private schools. Several other important institutions in this city include the South African National Library for the Blind and the International Library for African Music (ILAM). Two large festivals take place annually in Grahamstown: the National Arts Festival and SciFest Africa. Such events as well as its high cost education inject necessary capital in a city that falls within the poorest province in South Africa. As a professional radio journalist I am expected to adhere to the standard of objectivity. It is imperative that I am impartial in my reporting of current affairs and that I remain neutral when uncovering the ‘facts’. I say ‘fact’ as facts in themselves are not entirely devoid of some form of ideology, be it mainstream or proletariat. In all honesty, objectivity is a concept which I do not really understand. How does one remain completely unbiased when reporting any story? The very fact that one chooses to focus on a particular angle when telling a story means that there is information, naturally, that will be omitted and thus objectivity is lost. Many of my colleagues believe that objectivity is a myth...it does not exist! We may try to strive for it but it is a sort of utopia or state of enlightenment that very few will achieve. I do, however, believe that it is important for me to take responsibility for the content that I report on should they, for instance, offend certain readers. In fact, this is exactly what I intend to do.
The kinds of stories I will report on will have to reflect the interest of the Grahamstown community. I will also have to inform the public of news they need to know such as information concerning public finances, economics and other politics. As Grahamstown is a city rich in arts and culture, it is also important that I report on stories reflecting the communities’ character. Thus entertainment news focusing on local, national and international cultural festivities will be included. In light of the significant gap between the rich and poor within this town, community outreach stories indicating how to bridge the economic and social divide will also feature.
