EWN reports that hundreds of journalists have been retrenched or temporarily laid-off as companies buckle under the pressure brought on by the national lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19.
A study conducted by the SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) indicated that the effects have been devastating, as witnessed through job losses and closure of print publications since the outbreak in March. Over 300 media workers lost their jobs when two magazine publishers shut down recently. However, it has been workers in small, independent, and local print publications who have been most ravaged, with the estimated jobs lost in the entire value chain amounting to 700 people. Workers at three of the country’s biggest print media companies were forced to take salary cuts of up to 45%. Freelancers were not spared either, with a survey of 276 people finding that 60% lost up to 70% of their income, with some respondents admitting they needed assistance with basics such as food. The study opined that the crisis had demonstrated the need to think about emergency funding for the news media in the short-term while working on sustainable funding models.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Theto Mahlakoana at EWN
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