An innovative project aimed at growing the youth media voice has given rise to a digital journalism hub at Nelson Mandela University that syndicates the work of student writers to national media and online start-ups.
Khulani! is a website and feature syndication hub which mentors and supports first-year students that are enrolled for a compulsory Writing for the Media module to produce publishable and professional online feature articles.
Second-year BA Media, Communication & Culture student Sinentlahla Matshakeni’s online article was recently recognised as the best story on the Khulani! Youth Hub for 2024. Her article, titled “Why SA youth need to beat the bottle” was syndicated by Health4Mzansi, among others.
“Writing for the Media …teaches us how to write for real-world issues, like alcohol abuse among young people; to write for different audiences and… (to) understand the media better. Now, I feel like I can make a difference by sharing my thoughts and helping to create positive change. The article on Health For Mzansi shows how good writing can help people understand important issues,” said Matshakeni.
Over half of the Khulani! stories published have already been republished by online content partners, including Health for Mzansi, MyZA, and GoodThingsGuy under a Creative Commons license. Most content partners published more than one article. Student work included articles about youth “side-hustles”, sport, sexuality and careers, inspirational heroes and informative “how-to’s”.
“The Khulani! project plain and simple gets down to the stories that matter. These days we can all access international and national stories at the drop of a hat and, quite frankly, most of it is the same. Getting to grips with youth stories is what Khulani! does best – real people, real stories and actionable insights make for a refreshing read and compelling narrative,” said MyPE and MyGqeberha Editor Alan Straton.
The brainchild of lecturer and undergraduate Coordinator, Jude Mathurine, the Khulani! project is working to change media representation of youth one article at a time.
With 39% of the country’s population aged 14-35 (Stats SA 2011), Khulani! addresses the diverse interests of young people sadly overlooked or misrepresented in mainstream media.
The editorial process is managed by Mathurine, who curates, copy-edits, promotes and networks student work with assistance from Corporate Communication lecturer, Cindy Preller, and Digital Assistant, Thandile Nkoyi, a recent graduate of Nelson Mandela University.
Khulani! Also pioneers radical transparency through an online tool to help students disclose how Ai (artificial intelligence) contributes to various stages of story production, from ideation to editing.
“Every article on Khulani! features a disclosure, called the Ai-Plus Report Card,” said Mathurine.
“In line with the SA Press Council’s guidance note on Ai, this makes sure that students who use Ai are using these tools for planning, research or fact-checking are using the tools mindful of its opportunities as well as limitations, in line with acceptable and transparent norms.”
“By expanding stories and building audiences, Khulani! sets a precedent for youth-driven reporting and building student competence in the best use of Generative Ai for digital journalism. We are excited about the opportunity to continue this important work—fostering more empowered student writers and advancing AI-driven youth journalism,” said Mathurine.
“We are looking forward to releasing the AI-Plus report card tool to bloggers and other online sites that want to use it,” said Mathurine.
Khulani! Is supported by a university Teaching Development and Innovation Fund (TDIF) grant.
Explore student work at https://khulani.me/
Picture: Second-year Media and Communication student Sinentlahla Matshakeni’s online
article was judged the best story on the Khulani! Youth Hub for 2024. Her article was
syndicated by Health4Mzansi, among others.
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