No horror story

The blog in question has only 17 posts at time of writing (20:45 on Thursday 29^th October 2009), yet “I know what you wrote last semester” is still one of the more impressive Rhodes JMS 1 blogs I've encoutered. And they have a catchy title too.

The less-than abundant amount of posts may be excused for two reasons. Firstly, a low number of posts of high quality are more desirable than masses of posts spewed out in haste to reach an impressive-looking tally. Secondly, additional posts weren’t a prerequisite, therefore their absence can’t be held against the bloggers.

The plain design of the blog does not detract from the quality of writing. While pretty flowers and animated fish tanks are adorable and mesmerising, rather like a shiny object distracting you from everything else, they soon fade and not even the most creatively designed blog could rescue a reader from posts that tend to leave the eyelids drooping and the intellect in want of something substantial.

While I did detect the stray punctuation error or two in some of the posts (which could have easily been avoided through a simple proof-reading) these didn’t hamper my reading too much. Although, being rather stuck-up about such things as correct grammar and word usage, I did find it annoying. Making allowance for lack of editing, the articles are intelligent, well-written and relevant. Overall, I’d recommend their blog; it’s well worth a visit to anyone with time on their hands.

The stigma of student journalism

by Danelle Wessels

I’m only nineteen, one of many ambitious first-years at Rhodes University. I am a ‘student journalist’, a term which carries many less-than-flattering connotations. I’ve heard it means we’re unprofessional, grammatically incorrect, socially and politically insensitive and inexperienced. While some of us may have cringe-worthy netiquette and no sense of sentence structure, we don’t all deserve the tainted reputation. JMS students slave away and, believe it or not, even first-years show dedication in between their hectic drinking schedules. Heck, pub-crawling is a part of our work.

I’m not a journalist by profession yet; I don’t get paid to write. Instead, it’s something that lives in my blood. I’m addicted to the adventure of it, the creativity and impact of it. Passion and dedication are not to be taken lightly when considering the worth of a journalist. If spirit and hard work are what counts, then I’ve seen ‘student journalists’ with competency to match that of their mentors.

We’re still in the learning process, yes, but isn’t everyone? Students regularly teach and challenge their lecturers. Thanks to the ‘student’ stereotype, we’re not always given the respect and credit due to us and often downplay our own potential. My age does not reflect my ability, my talent or my determination to succeed. My qualifications, though they may help me to refine my skills, do not reflect how capable a journalist I am. Because I am a journalist, this moment, right here, writing to you. I am my words, judge me by them.