- August has been an incredible month for Bhekisisa. With 360 000 unique visitors and just under 430 000 pageviews, our traffic went through the roof.
- Two of our top five stories were blockbusters that set the agenda for discussions on the subjects they covered in the mainstream media — also among policymakers.
- We learned a well-timed story built on trustworthy information, framed in the political context against which it’s playing off can go a long way. And with that, that nothing beats the power of narrative journalism.
- Read our monthly newsletter to find out what we were up to in August — and what our top five stories were. Sign up.
In today’s newsletter, our editor-in-chief Mia Malan explains how a well-timed, well-contextualised story can go a long way. Sign up for our newsletter now.
August has been an incredible month for Bhekisisa. With 360 000 unique visitors and just under 430 000 pageviews, our traffic went through the roof.
Two of our top five stories were blockbusters that set the agenda for discussions on the subjects they covered in the mainstream media — also among policymakers.
Our top story, which received over 200 000 pageviews, revealed two exclusive angles on the issue everyone in South Africa is talking about: National Health Insurance (NHI). For our monthly TV programme, Health Beat, we did an in-depth interview with Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, who said he’s not prepared to negotiate on the section in the NHI Act that says medical aids in their current form will be scrapped under the NHI, but he is prepared to change the Act to give asylum seekers and undocumented migrants access to HIV treatment.
Motsoaledi’s medical aid comments contrasted starkly with the rules of the game for the establishment of the government of national unity (GNU) which, the Democratic Alliance (DA) says, included a promise from the ANC that the GNU would establish a commission that will address parties’ concerns — only four of the 10 GNU parties support the NHI — about the scheme and then potentially amend the Act.
Our story was republished, often as the lead story, and also prominently used in the newsletters of Daily Maverick, Financial Mail, News24, TimesLive, BusinessLive. It was the top-read story on News24 for Friday, 23 August, and most of Saturday, 24 August. On Monday, 25 August, it was the second most read story on Financial Mail.
But, more importantly, it was that the same media also wrote editorials and news stories that quoted our story, to address the lack of consultation around the NHI.
News 24’s Carol Paton published an editorial on what she considers the minister’s “doubling down” on consultation, Stephen Grootes said on 702’s the Money Show that our article was likely to drive the NHI debate for the coming days and wrote an op-ed for Daily Maverick, exploring the impact of Motsoaledi’s comments on the sustainability of the GNU. Business Day’s editor-at-large, Natasha Marrian, published a comment piece on the consequences of the minister’s comment on politicising health.
Business Day’s Tamar Kahn got reaction from think tanks on whether Motsoaledi’s stance could lead to more skilled workers leaving the country and, consequently, a reduced tax base and therefore less money for health, and BusinessTech explored what the NHI would cost. Moreover, Netwerk24’s Hanlie Stadler asked what role Motsoaledi’s approach played in some partners refusing to sign the second presidential health compact on 22 August.
Cape Talk’s John Maytham interviewed the country’s largest private medical scheme, Discovery Health, on his afternoon drivetime show and EyeWitness News wrote a story about the interview.
And decision-makers didn’t stay behind. University of KwaZulu-Natal pharmacist Andy Gray, who has a listserv with a wide range of health policymakers as subscribers, circulated our story, the national health department published it on their Facebook page and the DA issued a press release within an hour after our article went live.
In our second most-read story, Sean Christie’s long-form article on Cuba-trained doctors in South Africa broke the trope that they’re not useful to our health system. In true narrative style, Sean told the stories of five such physicians who’ve made it to the top; one of them being Mzulungile Nodikida, the South African Medical Association’s CEO. Sean was interviewed by Newzroom Afrika and inspired a producer from an influential documentary programme to produce a story with the same angle.
We learned a few lessons along the way: a well-timed story built on trustworthy information, framed in the political context against which it’s playing off — in this case, the GNU or the working environment of health professionals — can go a long way. And with that, nothing beats the power of narrative journalism.
Want to know more?
Have a look at our top five stories and what we were up to this month in our newsletter.
Mia Malan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa. She has worked in newsrooms in Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington, DC, winning more than 30 awards for her radio, print and television work.
