By Mpho Sekgaphola
Patrick O’Leary, a veteran photojournalist specializing in the trucking industry, who took second place in the photo category at the 2021 SADC Media Awards, has encouraged other journalists to enter this year.
While accepting the award during the SADC Media Awards Dinner in December 2021, he urged other journalists to present both sides of an issue when reporting on it.
“Now, more than ever before, your role as a journalist is critical to projecting all sides of an issue. Report accurately, conduct thorough investigations, and be proud of your role in society.”
Patrick, who has been covering the trucking industry since 1976, took second place in the regional competition’s photo category.
He was recognized for his outstanding work in bringing to light the complex issues confronting truck drivers queuing at the Lebombo/Ressano Garcia border post between South Africa and Mozambique.
According to Patrick, these truck drivers go through a lot and are subjected to inhumane conditions such as being stuck in queues up to 15 kilometres long for days.
In some cases, they do not have access to ablution facilities or food, and this state of affairs has cost truck operators millions of Rand in lost revenue.
“As a result of this, some operators were rerouting their trucks away from this corridor to Durban and Richards Bay, which had an impact on the local economy,” he explained.
The SADC Media Awards were established in 1996, following the approval of the SADC Council of Ministers in 1995, to recognize best media work in disseminating information about SADC in order to support the region’s process of regional cooperation and integration.
The Awards are in the fields of Print Journalism, Radio Journalism, Television Journalism and Photojournalism.
The awards judge entrants not by the number of headlines they provoked but the quality of work that went into their craft.
These are media professionals who have invested hours, weeks and months of investigating topics of public interest and ensuring that the story is not only credible but is backed by facts and solid multiple sources.
The SADC Media Awards are open to all journalists in SADC member states.
Journalists who wish to enter the competition can access more information about the competition from the www.sadc.int and www.gcis.gov.za websites. The forms and the 2022 competition rules can be found on the links below: https://www.gcis.gov.za/newsroom/media-releases/launch-2022-sadc-media-awards-competition. Closing date of the competition is 28 February 2022. – SAnews.gov.za
