Memeburn scoops social media honours at Vodacom journo awards

A Memeburn story has won the Social Media category at the Vodacom Journalist of the Year 2011 awards.

The story, Twitter breaks news, but will it break journalism? written by Memeburn contributor Herman Manson, focuses on the impact, both negative and positive, that Twitter has as a reporting tool.

The article’s position can effectively be summed up in its lead sentence:

“Twitter’s value to breaking news quickly and efficiently is beyond doubt, but the accuracy of the news being reported is far from perfect.”

The Vodacom Journalist of the Year award is among the most high-profile recognitions of work done by those working in the South African media and it is Memeburn’s first. Other awards Memeburn has secured include a Bookmark’s award and a SA Blog award.

According to the organisers, the awards aim to “recognise the achievements of these reporters, who strive tirelessly across a multitude of disciplines to ensure that our society remains informed and progressive”.

Through the awards, Vodacom claims that it rewards “those reporters who have genuinely made a difference”.