By Alec Hogg
After my 6pm radio show on a wintry evening in 2003, I drove to Magaliesburg for dinner at the inaugural Sanlam School for Financial Journalists. What made the trip memorable was how, on way home, my car got front-ended at a stop street by a reversing bakkie. The School is again in session this week. It has moved to Summer and is now held north of Pretoria – no stop streets with confused drivers could spoil my return last night.
In January it will be 35 years since I walked into the financial reporting office at The Citizen. As many of the 30 delegates at this year’s Sanlam School are starting out in their careers, instead of boring them with another Death by Powerpoint, it seemed appropriate to share what I’d have loved to tell my younger self.
The message boiled down to a few key pointers. Never compromise on professional, financial or personal Integrity. Be aware of the twin monsters of Arrogance and Complacency. And know that your industry is transforming, that innovation is continuous and the only constant is change. While preparing for the talk it also dawned on me that I should never stop being grateful for ending up doing something I was born for. Because journalism – like teaching, nursing and policing – is a calling. And for those of us hard-wired that way, sharing the news is really the only thing that will really make us happy. I hope it keeps showing in BizNews.com for at least the next 35 years.
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