I am sure that our loyal readers have noticed that something has been absent from page four of our paper for the last three months, and asked themselves, “What happened to the Editor’s Note?”
The answer is quite simple. When our previous editor, Roelien Vorster, took up a new position in Amanzimtoti, I was appointed as the Acting Editor, and in between taking over the reins, and trying not to drown, the time was just not right for me to attempt to write this column.
But, after three very busy months, I have now officially been appointed as the editor of both the Roodepoort Record and the Roodepoort Northsider. And, even though it is a great honour, I cannot help but think back to Peter Parker’s (Spiderman) uncle’s dying words: “With great power, comes great responsibility.”
I want to ensure that during the time I am the editor, my actions will be such that I will be remembered for all the right reasons, by being responsible for accurate and fair reporting by my journalists. I would like to be remembered for always having the community’s interests at heart, being compassionate about what is going on in the community, being passionate about issues affecting them and having the courage to place them under the spotlight.
While thinking about the things that I would want to be remembered for, the latest article by a well-known Afrikaans publication on James Small’s last hours came to mind. That publication received information to the effect that the Springbok rugby legend was naked and unconscious in a brothel prior to his death. We all know that James was a ‘bad boy and a rebel’ who lived life hard and played his rugby even harder – but why did the publication feel the need to mar his memory by publishing these ‘facts’?
Yes, one can argue that because he was famous and lived most of his life in the public eye, it might have been in the public’s interest, but was it really? After all, he was someone’s hero, a mother’s son, someone’s husband, but, most importantly, someone’s father. Did they need to read about this so soon after his death?
And, he is not the only South African sports star that has been subjected to this – think about Hansie Cronje, Joost van der Westhuizen and even Tertius Bosch – who all had very interesting (and quite controversial) parts to their lives that were made public just before or right after their deaths.
The only thing these ‘exposés’ achieved, in my opinion, is to ensure that their many achievements and accolades will be forgotten, with only their ‘mistakes’ being remembered, which is quite unfair.
My question to you is this, “How would you like to be remembered, and what are you doing to ensure this memory?”
Feel free to share your thoughts with me by sending an email to roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za.
Until next week …
Toodles Noodles
