Alec Hogg: South Africans should thank God for Koos Bekker (and Tencent)
In the craft of journalism, reporters are only as good as their sources. What makes this tricky is that sources always have an agenda. So the real challenge, is to determine what it is the source wants from the reporter (I often ask straight out) and then weigh up whether this harms the public interest. Often it does and the story must be rejected. But, just as often, reporters do not ask the obvious question for fear of losing headline-making informants.
At BizNews, we are blessed with an abundance of sources, mostly unsolicited. Among them is veteran financial advisor David Melvill, a gold bug and tireless combatant against corporate bullies – specifically Sanlam. Outside of our columns, however, David hasn't enjoyed much exposure in his fight against the life office. Which may or may not have something to do with Sanlam awarding a raft of hefty cash prizes in its annual "financial reporter of the year" competition.
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