In this episode of the Media & Marketing Show, Hasanain Abdullah had an engaging discussion with media journalist, Wesley Fester whose beat includes covering hard news themes that affect every day South Africans.
Wesley Fester is a Cape Town Based international TV and video journalist.
He covers news including the social ills that affects society, including femicide, PAGAD and their mobilization against gangs and their activities, mass mobilization marches and the Palestine solidarity marches. Through his lens, he captures stories in vivid detail by using the latest technology in rich media.
He travels extensively across South Africa to cover key industry events including summits and conferences. He has a formidable following on social media, his growing audience is kept captivated and engaged through short form videos, which depict and capture the pulse of the nation. It opens a window and gives one a sense of the danger of breaking news as it unravels on the grassroots level, they offer window into the issues that shaping the news headlines.
Often, he is joined on his beat, with his “partner”, established media professional and videographer, Saawmiet Moos, this is modern iteration of the Bang Bang Club, which was a band of journalists who worked together on the ground, they covered hard news in the township during the height of the Apartheid era.
His work can be found on Getty Images.
Our discussion touched on the ineptitude of the police service as well as the army in effectively dealing with the growth of Cape Flats gangs who exert their influence through violence and the sale of narcotics. Innocent bystanders are caught in the cross hairs, this can be attributed to the guns that are readily available on the streets. At times, he is caught in crossfire between the members of PAGAD and the gangs during protest marches.
Photo and video journalist who post their work online, recently there has been a spike digital theft of their work. This is because they post snippets or previews of their work on social media. The discussion touched on this evil that affects the media industry, and Wesley has put guard rails in place to curb the theft of his intellectual property.
Furthermore the discussion touch on issues affecting every day South Africans. This included working class commuters who are dependent on taxis to get to work and the City of Cape Town who has clamped down on their business by impounding non roadworthy taxis. This has created a tense standoff between the taxi industry and the City of Cape Town. The commuters have had to bear the brunt of this, due to an interrupted commute to work.
Wesley is at the cutting edge of modern video journalism, he gave us a sense of what was required to thrive in the modern news room and what the future of journalism looks like.
His work can be found on Getty Images. He is a regular contributor to AFP, BBC, CGTN and RTL.
