I took a left, it took a left, and my right was met by a pause from the big-eyed digital waitress who left a…
Memeburn finalist in Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards 2013
Memeburn has officially been announced as a finalist in the Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards 2013 and is pitted against the BBC and CNBC Africa in the Best Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Feature category.
The story for which Memeburn received the nomination, Barry Bateman and Oscar Pistorius: inside the Twitter explosion, explores how South African journalist Barry Bateman’s coverage of the saga around paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorious saw him become a Twitter phenomenon.
Written by staff reporters Lauren Granger and Bianca Budricks, the story charts the explosion in Bateman’s following after news broke that Pistorious’ model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp had been shot dead and during the athlete’s bail hearing for the killing. It focuses on how the hearing became such a Twitter sensation, and how the journalists involved worked to report on up-to-the-minute discussions in the court room and share the stories with thousands of international followers.
The BBC’s Fiona Graham is nominated for ‘Technology opens the doors of Africa’s health sector‘, her exploration into the use of technology in ensuring quality healthcare in Africa, along with CNBC Africa’s Keisha Gitari’s work on the African gaming industry and the success Nigerian gaming company Maliyo has found on the continent.
The Awards, which this year celebrate their ten-year anniversary, recognise the fact that excellent business journalism plays a crucial role in promoting Africa as a destination for investment. The Awards also underline Diageo’s belief that better and more accurate reporting helps to create a fair and responsible environment in which to do business.
Over 1 000 entries were received from across Africa and the rest of the world, representing a cross-section of reporting from print, broadcast and new media. A panel of eminent judges will now select the winners of each category. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony, which will be held in London on Wednesday 17th July 2013.
