In an era where misinformation spreads faster than facts, outrage is amplified by algorithms, and the pressure to break news first often outweighs the responsibility to get it right, Newzroom Afrika has become a trusted daily companion. At a time when social media has blurred the lines between truth and noise, the channel’s commitment to credible, thoughtful journalism has made it a voice audiences return to for clarity, context and trust.

It is a subtle but significant distinction. The “voiceless” framing places the journalist at the centre of the story: the heroic intermediary between suffering and visibility. Iman’s version is different. It places the community at the centre, and the journalist in service to them. The job, she says, is not to speak for people, but to turn up the volume on what they are already saying.

100% proudly Black and female owned

Launched in May 2019 and co-founded by former news anchor and tech entrepreneur Thabile Ngwato, Newzroom Afrika made the strategic and brave decision to enter a highly competitive media landscape and do things differently. The timing alone was audacious. Anchor Michelle Craig recalls the channel’s origin story with reverence.

“Newzroom Afrika took the very brave step of launching during an election month, which is madness, really, unless you can pull it off. And pull it off the channel did.”

It is the story of a channel that stepped into the fire and emerged sharper. Seven years later, it reaches audiences across 52 African countries, from Botswana to Nigeria, from Kenya to Angola. 

The familiar faces on your screen

On the day of the cover shoot, the atmosphere is lighter than the composed seriousness viewers are accustomed to seeing on screen. There is laughter before questions are finished. Gentle teasing travels easily between them. The camaraderie is unmistakable. Around Iman are anchor Xoli Mngambi, anchor Michelle Craig, sport anchor Vaylen Kirtley, anchor Arabile Gumede, and business anchor Tumisang Ndlovu. These are journalists who have covered elections, national crises, global sporting triumphs and some of the country’s darkest moments together.

In an age of the commodification of attention, audiences are no longer passive receivers of information. They are participants, critics and co producers of the news environment. Newzroom Afrika has had to navigate that shift thoughtfully.

“We can recognise real constructive criticism,” says Michelle. “And then there’s the obvious baiting. Some of the feedback is very personal. It’s focused on your appearance. Those are the things we let fall by the wayside. But if it’s genuine and constructive, we welcome it.”

There is no defensiveness in how they speak about public scrutiny. Instead, there is composure paired with the confidence of people who know exactly why they do this work.

Credibility over breaking the news first

Being credible matters more than being first. In a media environment where the race to break a story can lead outlets into error, Newzroom Afrika has staked its reputation on verification.

“We are not obsessed with being first in breaking the story,” says Xoli, who followed his gut to join the channel in search of something vibrant and new. “Once we know that the story checks out, then we go public with it. Not being first but being credible.”

Vaylen echoes this from the front lines of live broadcasting.

“We try to reflect the views of South Africans each and every single day, to uphold journalistic standards. We hold ourselves to very high standards to make sure the information we give is credible and viable.”

Arabile, one of the newer members of the team, adds a layer of nuance that speaks to the complexity of modern journalism.

“To assume that just because I’m a journalist, I don’t have an opinion, is perhaps naive,” he says. “But the best journalists will always put out the facts first. I’m a voter too. I’m a citizen. I’m somebody affected by potholes, by water that isn’t there. Of course I have an opinion, but that doesn’t mean I can’t lay out the facts first.”

Iman brings it together with the channel’s internal shorthand.

“We have to be FAB. Fair, accurate and balanced. Objectivity is a myth, but if you are fair, accurate and balanced, then we’ve got it covered.”

Brave enough to begin differently

Ask any one of them what has kept them at Newzroom Afrika and the answer is the same: the people.

Xoli speaks of following his gut to a place where a group of young, passionate journalists were trying something new. Tumisang, who arrived from radio nervous and self-described as a rookie, found herself supported by colleagues from day one.

“Every single one of my colleagues held my hand,” she says. “Four years down the line, my first day still feels like yesterday.”

That sense of being supported and carried is something Tumisang says shaped her confidence on screen and her understanding of what makes Newzroom Afrika different from anywhere else she could have landed.

“This place teaches you while it trusts you. That combination is rare,” she says.

Arabile describes the feeling of joining a team that moves with the agility of a small unit, but the ambition of something much larger.

“You can delve in and learn while giving of yourself too. I’ve been entrusted with so much, and I keep wanting to give back.”

For Iman, a veteran journalist, walking into Newzroom Afrika was something special and rare.

“You feel immediately comfortable. Like this is the place that you belong, where you’re working with colleagues you’ve worked with before, but in a completely different setting,” she says. “And I think that was dynamite and magic because you get a blank page upon which you can write something entirely beautiful and different.”

That blank page metaphor is telling. It speaks to what Black ownership, at its best, makes possible: not only representation on screen, but the freedom to imagine differently. To decide what stories get told, how they are framed, and who gets the microphone. Shaping what the news looks and sounds like by people who were not historically given the power to build it is a powerful move.

Cheers to many more memorable moments

When Vaylen is asked about a personal career highlight, she does not hesitate. The 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. Live bulletins from the ground every day. Following the Springboks through every heart stopping moment until the final whistle of victory.

“We got to share that with South Africans,” she says, and there is something in her voice, warmth and a kind of wonder, that suggests this is still not fully processed. “It is a moment that, even when we talk about it, binds South Africans.”

That is perhaps the most accurate description of what Newzroom Afrika has spent seven years doing: giving audiences across 52 African countries a mirror they recognise and a signal they trust.

“We honestly have been punching above our weight as a channel,” says Xoli, and he means it as a tribute to every person in the room.

Newzroom Afrika has survived seven years in one of the world’s most demanding industries because it was built with intention and led with purpose. It is staffed by people who understand that the truth matters, and that the people watching deserve nothing less than the best.

Seven years in, the channel is not slowing down. It is just getting started.

A special thank you to the Sanctuary Mandela hotel for hosting this photoshoot.