Advertising feature
“I am the ‘boss of the men in editorial’,” said reporter Louise Carter. “The last four years have been wild; it has had very high ups, some lows and it has always had a fair share of unpredictability.
“I love working in the news environment and while the task is sometimes challenging and overwhelming, knowing that the right probe on a specific story has led to uncovering dubious dealings and exposing the truth and in return serving our community. This gives me a great personal satisfaction. I’m a believer in truth above everything, and I uphold justice and fairness as the pillars of society.
“I have learnt that a story can change a life and the gratitude of people who you have served, is the encouragement that keeps me going. Sometimes news can be a thankless and harsh environment and often the saying, ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ rings true. But despite this I have grown a thick skin and place a tremendous amount of value on positive people, happy people, innovators, entrepreneurs and people who drive the world forward.”
Cynthia Pase has been working at TotT for fifteen years as a dedicated coffee lady, cleaner and general worker. “I am very happy here; we all love each other and everybody is very friendly. It feels like a family environment. It’s a fun experience working for the newspaper industry and my favourite part of my job is I can sing and dance and joke around with my colleagues.
“Since joining TotT almost four years ago, I’ve learnt so many things,” said advertising coordinator Noxolo Blouw. “Colleagues taught me about the industry and shared their knowledge with me. I am surrounded by a diverse team, all intelligent and friendly people. I experienced a lot of beautiful memories that will stay with me forever.”
“The readers, advertisers and staff are what makes TotT special. I am also exceptionally proud that we have been instrumental in developing staff into becoming the best in the industry, some of them having become award-winning journalists at Daily Dispatch, Sunday Times and other publications. Community newspapers provide the best experience for journalists as they have to be proficient in covering stories from the mundane to the ridiculous, emerging as well-rounded writers,” says business manager of the community titles Mauneen Charter. .