Field Report

From 15 September 2022 to 15 December 2022

And
From 20 February 2023 to 03 March 2023
Submitted by:
Bhekisile Pretty Shezi
Third Year Journalism Student
Department of Media, Language and Communication
Softcopy Magazine
Table of Contents
Acknowledgement
Information about the magazine
Information about the WIL position
Description of the WIL experience
Conclusion
Acknowledgement
I’m grateful to the Durban University of Technology, the Faculty of Arts and Design’s
Information and Communications officer, the editor of Softcopy Magazine Andile Dube, for
giving me the opportunity to be a writer at Softcopy and for being my supervisor. Especially for
his guidance, words of encouragement, advice and positive feedback on my work. How my
writing will improve with time and the more I write the more it will improve. I’m also grateful to
the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design, Professor Runette Kruger the Editor in
Chief of Softcopy, the staff and students for their assistance during my time at the magazine.

Information about the magazine

Softcopy is a digital magazine published quarterly on the Danish-founded American electronic
publishing platform, ISSUU. Softcopy was started eight years ago in 2015 as a means for
improving communications in the Faculty of Arts and Design as well as promoting the activities,
work and achievements of the staff and students of the Faculty to the Durban University of
Technology community (staff, students, alumni, funders and other stakeholders). The DUT
community are the target audience for Softcopy Magazine.
Softcopy is a visually appealing magazine that feature thought provoking, inspiring content to
current students. Each issue features content that reflects each term of the academic calendar.
Content that covers the achievements, projects, collaborations of the Faculty. Softcopy has the
following sections, Awards and Honours, News, Cover Feature, Special Report, Exhibitions,
Seminars and Alumni. The Awards and Honours section gives recognition to staff and students
who have received awards or recognition for their work.
The News section cover news related to collaborations within the Faculty or with external
individual or organizations and news about projects being done in the Faculty. Cover feature
section is the highlight of the edition, it has a rich and visually appealing content. Special Report
section feature research being done in the Faculty. Exhibitions section feature news on
exhibitions hosted by the Faculty and academic programmes. Seminars section feature articles
on seminars that were held in the Faculty. The Alumni section feature past students of the
Faculty who are making strides in their chosen fields.
There is only one person who works on Softcopy, Andile Dube, the Faculty of Arts and Design’s
Information and Communications Officer. Andile is the editor for Softcopy. He also writes most
of the articles for the magazine as well as being responsible for curating all the content and the
creative direction. Andrea Alcock who is the manager for City Campus Writing Centre is the
proof reader for Softcopy and Mbuso Nkosi who is a technician in the photography programme
is the photographer for Softcopy.
To date, 30 issues of Softcopy have been published and circulated via email to everyone on the
DUT email database with a link shared on the Faculty and University’s social media platforms.
The magazine has grown immensely since its inception in 2015, DUT has an estimated 33 000
students and around 1000 staff, all of whom receive Softcopy via email.
Softcopy doesn’t only promote the Faculty of Arts and Design but contributes to the DUT’s
ENVISION2030 strategy which in parts requires for the University’s community to be engaged,
innovative and digitally savvy. Softcopy Magazine won an award at the 2022 Marketing,
Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) Excellence Awards, under the Digital:
Internal Magazines and Newsletters category.

Description of the WIL position

My role at Softcopy was to write one or two stories per week about the activities and
achievements of the staff, students and alumni of the Faculty of Arts and Design.

Description of the WIL Experience

As a writer at Softcopy I had to do a lot of reading and research before writing a story. I had to
read different stories from different media platforms written about an event. I had to send
interview questions to the staff or students who were part of the story I was working on. I had
to write, rewrite and edit a story before submitting it to the editor. I learnt that a story should
always have two or three quotes. To ask relevant questions to gain more knowledge and a
better understanding of the event I’m writing about. That helped me confirm the accuracy of all
the information I gathered and prevented me from making mistakes. I also had to present the
information in an honest and balanced manner in my writing.
I learnt to pay attention to details like spelling, grammar and punctuation. To double check
unisex names especially when communicating via email or WhatsApp. To spell people’s names
and surnames correctly which is also very important. I learnt to work within a deadline and to
effectively manage my time. Time management skills allowed me to successfully complete my
stories on time. Writing different stories every week about different staff or students taught me
to introduce myself better. It also improved my communication skills and writing skills. A good
work ethic helped me stay focused, work independently and meet deadlines.
What I learnt during my classes and time at Softcopy was to decide before writing a lead which
aspects of the story, who, what, when, where, why and how is most important. To establish the
direction of the story. To give the readers the most important information in a clear, concise
and interesting manner. To be specific as possible and straight to the point. To wait until the
second or third paragraph to explain details of the story.
Communicating with my supervisor and keeping him updated on my progress on a story was
the key to my Work Integrated Learning to be successful. We communicated via email, phone
calls, on WhatsApp and face to face. We met once a week for feedback on the stories I
submitted the previous week. Receiving feedback was the time I looked forward to the most
during my time at Softcopy. Seeking feedback and letting others read my work before
submitting provided me with useful feedback that help me grow as a writer. It also meant I was
taking positive, constructive steps to improve my own writing and develop as a writer.
Receiving constructive feedback was very important for me whether positive or negative. The
positive feedback I received from my supervisor highlighted the strength and success of my
story. It fueled my motivation to approach my next story. The negative feedback was focused
on the areas of my work that needed improvement. It gave me a vantage point to know where
my work fell short and where to improve on my writing. It also provided me with an
opportunity to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of my writing.
I believe there's always room for me to grow as a writer and a lot to learn. Since Journalism is
such a broad career. Whether I'll be in broadcasting, print media or corporate. Learning
different styles of writing specific to the publication or company I'll be working for. Where ever
the opportunity presents itself. Who knows where the Journalism career will take me.

Conclusion
During my time at Softcopy, I found the whole experience overwhelming at first. Writing
different stories every week. Having a lot of information from different media platforms.
Deciding which to use and not use. But as weeks went by, I believe I adjusted very well.
Learning to adjust also taught me to stop over thinking about the story I’ve already submitted,
to focus on the one I’m working on in that moment, to wait until I have feedback about it and
what to rectify or work towards on my next story.
The experience was also stressful at times. Worrying if the staff or students I’m writing a story
about will respond to my emails in time. Worrying if I will make the deadline. My supervisor
advised me to give the staff or student a deadline for when to respond to my emails, as I was on
one myself. Good communication skills came in handy during that time. Knowing how to ask
politely. Some just decide to respond one day before the deadline I gave them. That meant I
have to work on the story during the night in order to meet the deadline.
My time at Softcopy was a good learning experience. It taught me how to work under pressure
like journalists in the real world. To prioritize my work in order to meet the deadline. It also
taught me how to handle complains about a story I wrote and how to deal with the whole
situation. As an aspiring writer I still need to improve my writing skills, my interactive skills and
face to face interviewing skills. On my next position I would love to learn about page layout and
how the whole magazine come together.