DRUM's S’thembiso Hlongwane named Discovery Health Journalist of the Year

DRUM magazine reporter S’thembiso Hlongwane walked away with Discovery Health Journalist of the Year 2011 Award for his piece “We’re waiting to die”. According to the judging panel, his article is “a masterpiece of excellent, striking and unforgettable journalism, which portrays a healthcare delivery system on its knees due to political and economic mismanagement by an unelected absolute monarch who spends the nation’s resources on himself. The story, focussing on Swaziland, demonstrates the collateral effects on South Africa’s own challenged health delivery system in ways that similar stories focusing on health crises in other countries did not manage to achieve. The story is exemplary journalism in its uses of a diversity of sources that add informational and explanatory value.” S’thembiso was also awarded the Best Health News Reporting category award for the same piece.

This year is the fourth annual Discovery Health Journalism Awards and close to 200 entries were received for this year’s awards.

Dr Jonathan Broomberg, CEO of Discovery Health said, “congratulations to all the deserving winners. These awards aim to make a meaningful contribution to the quantity and quality of health reporting in South Africa by promoting and recognising excellent health reporting. Health journalism is as broad as the healthcare profession is, spanning a number of issues in the clinical, scientific, economics, personal finance, lifestyle and other sectors where healthcare issues are of importance.”

Professor Tawana Kupe, Convenor of the judging panel and Dean of Humanities at University of the Witwatersrand said, “we were pleased with the overall quality of entries and to receive a record number of entries. Many of these entries skilfully dealt with relevant health issues that are ongoing and will have a significant impact on our society over time; and demonstrated a knowledge, understanding and application of the many facets necessary for delivering excellent health journalism in a factual, well balanced, clear, and informative way. This kind of knowledge, understanding and application of excellent journalism is what judges look for in a competition of this calibre.”

loveLife CEO, Grace Matlhape said, "health reporting targeting youth requires young people themselves to drive that reporting process to capture and retain the attention of youth. Journalism remains a critical tool to promote active citizenship and the health of our nation. loveLife’s involvement in the Discovery Health Journalism Awards encourages the participation of young journalists in providing excellent and creative health reporting."  

Media24 winners

Discovery Health Journalist of the Year
S’thembiso Hlongwane
‘We’re waiting to die’ - DRUM

Judges’ Citation
S’thembiso Hlongwane’s very well written story “We’re waiting to die” is a masterpiece of excellent, striking and unforgettable photography, which portrays a health care delivery system on its knees due to political and economic mismanagement by an unelected absolute monarch who spends the nation’s resources on himself. The story demonstrates the collateral effects on South Africa’s own challenged health delivery system in ways that similar stories focusing on health crises in other countries did not manage to achieve. The story is exemplary journalism in its uses of a diversity of sources that add informational and explanatory value.

Best Health News Reporting
S’thembiso Hlongwane
‘We’re waiting to die’- DRUM

Judges’ Citation
S’thembiso Hlongwane’s very well written story, “We’re waiting to die” on the collapse of the Swazi health delivery system and its impact on South Africa is a well crafted piece of journalism that uses striking and unforgettable photographs. It stood out as an example of how both the words and photographs complement each other at the same time as the photographs tell a story in their own right. The power of S’thembiso’s story is its ability to explain the causes of the almost comatose state of the health delivery system as a result of the political misdeeds and economic profligacy of the absolute monarch and in giving a voice to those who are directly affected, as well as quoting a range of experts and officials in South Africa and Swaziland.

Best Health Lifestyle Feature
Lydia van der Merwe
‘Waar jou gesondheid begin’ – SARIE

Judges’ Citation
The sequencing of the human genome promised to usher in a new era in health management and intervention, but in many cases, it has raised more questions and provided few definitive answers. It has become clear that there are hereditary factors for the susceptibility and progression of various communicable and non-communicable diseases, and this knowledge has not altered the course of major diseases such as breast cancer and diabetes. A less explored area is the effect the environment, and more specifically, the environment during early development in utero, has on health. Scientists are now looking in this area to bridge the gap between genes and the overall health status of people.

This issue is expertly and systematically handled by Lydia van der Merwe in explaining the link between fetal development and conditions such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes and temperament. Lydia’s use of multiple academic sources, combined with an added layer of interpretation is exemplary and makes for exciting reading. Her writing is clear and unencumbered by jargon. She explores various aspects of the issue using published literature and historical narrative, in ways that enhance the appeal of the piece. This is a fine piece of journalism.

Best Health Consumer and Feature Writing
Colette du Plessis
‘Om te berg of nie?’ - Baba & Kleuter

Judges’ Citation
Colette du Plessis’s excellent consumer piece “Om te berg of nie?” on harvesting and storing umbilical cord blood to obtain stem cells for future treatment is both novel and timely. New parents have so many things to consider; and this article provides a clear and systematic description of the options and process of harvesting cord blood in South Africa. Colette’s well written piece presents both the immediate costs and the long-term legal issues that need to be considered in collecting cord blood. There is artistry in writing about complex issues in an accessible way.