Redefining news: Perspectives on reinventing journalism
Kabo Ramasia | Tuesday January 27, 2026 00:09
So, I happened to pass by the Mmegi newsroom on a Tuesday morning. As expected, the journalists there were going about their business trying to gather stories for the week’s edition.
It’s the kind of aura that I had been accustomed to from a young age. The kind that gets one thinking. Although I sometimes miss this aura, I do make random visits every now and then to remind myself of that very experience that which we lived by. The headlines, deadlines and all there is to it. My day was partially fulfilled.
But for a slow morning, the scribes are making calls trying to solicit interviews, others planning on stories with the editor Ryder Gabathuse and the rest of the business that goes on in the newsroom. For a while, everyone seems to be on about their businesses until Business & Features editor Mbongeni ‘Mbo’ Mguni breaks the silence with a breaking news story he had been following. As he shouts in excitement, he gets everyone’s attention. Mguni, being the seasoned journalist in his own right then pushes to get the story published on social media or online as they would say.
Meanwhile, the story draws the attention of Sports Editor, Mqondisi ‘Mqo’ Dube who immediately starts going through the comments, analysing them one by one as they came. Why would such a huge bank decide to let go of ownership just like that? So, he seems to wonder.
But that sparks a debate. The question of why Standard Chartered Bank would put the bank up for sale takes centre stage. For myself, Dube and Mguni, we all agree that beyond that Facebook post, there is a further need to revisit the story and explore it to give the audience a perspective of how the bank arrived at such a decision and just why the story matters. Doing so, as we seem to share the consensus, is what must differentiate journalists from social media bloggers and the much-debated phenomenon of citizen journalists. As we deliberate on the debate at hand now, I now pose a question to both of them as to what needs to be done for journalism to survive in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), shifting audiences, declining newspaper sales, threats posed by misinformation and disinformation and generally the idea of consuming information as shared on social platforms without any attempt to verify and ascertain news veracity.
“Journalists must rebrand themselves,” replied Mguni. By this, he meant mainstream media journalists must establish themselves as authorities in their fields. This, he meant that they must go beyond reporting on the surface to give audiences perspectives that are thorough and hinging on facts that answer the WHY. What seemed to be the difference between selling news and falling for click baits was the notion of stories that tackle the WHY. Why should anyone care to read the story compared to what they get online? Dube, on the other hand, insists that with live streaming, live television and social media scribes must be creative in curating story ideas that are relevant to the readership. He argues that even though it is not a guarantee that audiences will buy newspapers, giving them fresher and more interesting angles could ignite interest for them to buy papers. Further, another point driven home by the gentlemen is that there is a need to be authentic in writing. Despite the advent of AI, journalism will not die because it is a craft which naturally relies on originality of thoughts and an inquisitive mind. Against this backdrop, they stipulate that scribes must thrive to be as authentic to reflect their unfiltered thoughts in their natural state. Moreover, another profound debate ensues. Political reporter Tsaone Basimanebotlhe weighs in that with the advent of social networks the Agenda-Setting Theory of the media remains challenged. Basimanebotlhe posits that instead of the media now dictating what audiences consume, it’s the other way round as audiences now lead the newspapers to the news. As she argues this point, everyone seems to be in alignment with what she says.
The above, together with the need to deliver accurate news stands out as some of the ways in which the journalism fraternity could attempt to reinvent itself. Other suggestions bordered on journalists getting training on fact checking and verification of facts. This could be through adoption of available online tools as well as coming up with other mechanisms.
As a point of departure, scribes do agree that even in the face of turbulent times the news industry finds itself in, there is, however, more that can be salvaged. Redefining journalism would entail a paradigm shift. In an era where news is at the click of a button, the newsroom agreed that while there is nothing wrong with regurgitating what was said at a press conference/ summit or AGM, the real story is in going an extra mile to refine it such that it gets a more shelf life and it is more appealing. What use is it reproducing what was live streamed, broadcast on tv or even reported on social media? These are but some of the questions modern journalists must grapple with as they navigate their ways within the complex news industry.
*Kabo Ramasia is a MISA Botswana board member. He writes in his personal capacity.