How To Effectively Engage With Journalists: Event Recap

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  by QW+ staff writer

How To Effectively Engage With Journalists: Event Recap

On Friday 15 October 2021, Quote Me On That hosted the first event in its first #AskAJournalist webinar series. We had an engaging conversation on how to effectively engage with journalists with the aim of understanding what journalists want from expert sources. By getting an understanding of what it’s like for a journalist to get a story together and what the expectations are when engaging with them, our experts would be better prepared, more comfortable and confident about engaging with journalists. 

And who better to share these insights than the journalists themselves? 

In the discussion facilitated by Kathy Magrobi, Founder and Director of QW+; Jordan Magrobi, Database Manager at QW+, and Agape Johnson, Marketer at QW+ key questions on the topic were explored with our guest journalists Sandisiwe Shoba and Karabo Mafolo from The Daily Maverick. 

Sandisiwe Shoba is a general reporter with a keen interest in social justice issues. Apart from Daily Maverick, she has written for GroundUp, News24 and women entrepreneurship blog, She Inspires Her. She has used the Quote This Woman database to find expert voices on topics ranging from gender-based violence to unemployment and children’s rights. Sandisiwe was educated at the University of Cape Town and is currently pursuing an LLB at the University of South Africa (UNISA). 

Karabo Mafolo is a Daily Maverick journalist. She studied Gender Studies at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She covers arts, gender and current affairs. She uses QW+ quite often and has in the past their database for experts on arts, gender, pop culture and labour.

The discussion sought responses to specific questions including, but not limited to:

Where do you source your experts?

What are the attributes of a really good expert source (from the point of view of a journalist)?

What are some of the frustrations journalists have to navigate when looking for expert quotes for news stories?

What makes you want to pull your hair out when it comes to engaging with a source or an expert?

Why does it seem like there is always such short notice for being a source?

We also invited experts to join Quote Me On That – a membership-based community of like-minded women+ that aims to provide skills and support to women+ experts, thought-leaders, business people, professionals and entrepreneurs working towards career, business and personal development. The community offers training and mentorship to help them shine in the spotlight.

By training women+ leaders and experts to be media-ready, we’re changing the face of the media. By participating in Quote Me On That, African experts are gearing up to increase the talent pool of commentators, analysts and panelists able to speak on key topics. They’re becoming role models for the next wave of women+ following in their footsteps.

Once one signs up as a member they have access to:

  • Exclusive member-only Masterclasses
  • Exclusive training content
  • Exclusive Online Courses
  • FREE Access to all webinars
  • Peer Support and networking 
  • Guest speakers
  • Exclusive storytelling events – and storytelling coaching opportunities

Via the links below you can explore the full recording of the webinar and links to some of the information presented during the webinar.

Relevant Links:

Watch the full webinar recording here

Become a Quote Me On That member

Donate to our Organisation

Learn more about Quote This Woman+

Learn more about Quote Me On That

QW+ contributes to seeing greater representation in the media of women+ from diverse and unheard backgrounds and identities, as a result closing the gender gap. In South Africa, only one in five experts quoted in the media is a woman. In certain contexts women are rendered close to invisible in the news. QW+ works with over 1000 journalists to ensure they get daily access to these diverse expert sources and our women+ experts have been featured not only in South African news brands, but in news brands across the globe.