A message from Prof Lizette Rabe, Chair of the Department of Journalism
[Article by Marenet]
The year 2022 has arrived. In the Chinese calendar it is the Year of the Tiger. So let’s channel our inner tiger and get into all the activities already lined up for this year: Your studies, your life, all your goals.
And, of course, our motto: Stay positive, test negative.
Also, take a moment to reflect: We’ve made it thus far.
All of us have lived through a season of grief that lasted for almost two years. We have lost loved ones. We ourselves have struggled with Covid. Maybe some of you reading here are still struggling.
And since March 2020 the media sector has been given a never anticipated thrashing at a time when newsrooms were already struggling to maintain themselves as a sector serving the public good. Simultaneously: A time when the supply of quality, credible and verified news was more important than ever.
There were miracles, and there were tragedies. We celebrate the miracles and mourn the tragedies, in every respect, in whichever way it affected our well-being.
And here we are at the beginning of a new year, also a new academic year, filled with prospects, filled with new discoveries. In fact: Blossoming with possibilities.
So, when the only option is to “stay positive, test negative” (and get that jab!) let’s make that our motto for the year. And in the memorable words of the one and only Bob Marley: “You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only option.”
Let’s remain strong. Let’s be there for one another. If a class comrade – and that includes all of us and our loved ones over 26 Crozier Street’s past 44 years – has difficulty carrying that burden, let’s help them focus that being strong is our only option.
Power to your pens, power to ourselves. Together, let’s make this another memorable year for all the right reasons.
2022 – we see you. And the trump card is in our hands.
The MA Journalism students on their first day of workshops.
