Ever heard about the word “Groupie” ? That’s purely how I
see some of the Journalists I've met at various events within the entertainment
beat of reporting. Instead of journalists doing their jobs they become
star-struck and make friends with the subjects (celebrities) of their news,
this should not be happening at all, why? Let’s find out below…
To my knowledge should I become friends with Bonang Matheba
as a journalist it will be difficult for me to write about her if I have a huge
Tabloid story, simply, she tells me everything in confidence knowing that she’s
talking to a friend. How do I then publish such a story? Isn't that
back-stabbing? Where do we draw the line
between our personal and professional lives? Do we have personal lives?
Do I have a personal life? Yes I do, especially when I am
amongst private citizens and not public citizens, if I am with or around
celebrities, well, be warned that I am a journalist and not your bloody friend
because you’re the story! Now, please be careful of what will come out of your
mouth because you’ll see it out tomorrow.
The was one journalist that I will not mention, she was sent
to cover an event by one of South Africa’s was once booming tabloid newspaper,
instead when the bar was turned into a cash bar service she left saying she will never
buy alcohol. “I better go buy it somewhere than here…” she said walking out of
the venue.
I stayed at the Feather Awards until everyone was gone and
that’s when I got a story that was followed nationally – credited by Vuzu TV,
Sunday Sun. Sunday World called me but used my information without giving any
credit! Move Magazine used the story without giving any credit and that pissed
the sh*t out of me but anyway people who were never really thought about plagiarism
will never know how pissed I was.
I will write the truth as raw as it is and I don’t care
whether I get invited to events or not! My job is not to do personal favors for
celebrities but report the news to the public domain, sure we are clear? I don’t
care whether you are President Jacob Zuma, DJ Cleo, Sipho ‘Hotsticks’ Mabuse or
Loliwe, I’ll do what my job requires me to do and I DON’T WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND BECAUSE I HAVE ENOUGH FRIENDS!
Let me not deviate from the point of this article –
journalist please go to events and do your jobs and stop the celebrity
ass-leaking journalism!
It’s after this celebrity ass-leaking journalism that
Shwashwi is no longer Shwashwi! It’s after the same type of journalism that
Tabloids produce yawning stories, and finally it’s after this system of
journalism that our media will never be honest and report fair news without
thousands of agendas from the journalist to the editors! It’s so devilish and
it should stop with proud journalists, who went to the field for the right
reasons!
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