Daily Maverick

Daily Maverick is a South African daily online newspaper founded in 2009 and edited by Branko Brkic and published by Styli Charalambous. It is run by an independent private company.[1][2][3] According to the Daily Maverick website, the publication is "a unique blend of news, information, analysis and opinion delivered from our newsroom in Johannesburg, South Africa".[1] Charalambous says the website is also "a platform for photojournalism, providing readers with a visual insight into what is happening in South Africa, Africa and globally".[4]

Daily Maverick
Daily Maverick screenshot on 29 March 2013
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatOnline newspaper
PublisherStyli Charalambous
EditorBranko Brkic
Associate editorFerial Haffajee
Founded2009
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
Sister newspapersFree African Media, iMaverick
Websitewww.dailymaverick.co.za

Contributors include assistant editor Marianne Thamm, free market columnist Ivo Vegter, constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos, founding General Secretary of COSATU Jay Naidoo, activist Sisonke Msimang, and photojournalist Greg Marinovich.[2]

Daily Maverick is part of The Guardian's Africa network.[5]

History

The Daily Maverick website was publicly launched late October 2009. Its name and values are derived from that of Maverick, a defunct South African business magazine published and edited by Brkic from 2005 to 2008. It was also influenced by American news websites The Daily Beast and The Huffington Post. Brkic was born in Yugoslavia and came to South Africa in 1991.[1][6][7][8]

Technology entrepreneur Alan Knott-Craig Jnr was Daily Maverick's first investor. He also introduced Brkic to Charalambous.[9][10][11][12] In his book Mobinomics, he says:[13][14]

In the online media arena, I invested in a venture run by one of the most driven and determined mavericks I know. Branko Brkic, editor and publisher of the Daily Maverick, a journal of news and commentary that is helping to shape the way we see our noisy, disruptive democracy.

— Alan Knott-Craig Jnr, Mobinomics: Mxit and Africa’s Mobile Revolution

Charalambous, a chartered accountant, joined the team a month before the website was launched in 2009. He was born and educated in Port Elizabeth.[15][16][17]

Former deputy editor Phillip de Wet, who had been with Daily Maverick since its inception in 2009 and was also the deputy editor of Maverick magazine from 2005 to 2008, left the team late 2011.[18][19] Associate editor Ranjeni Munusamy began writing for Daily Maverick in April 2012.[20]

In August 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa, the publication launched a print newspaper, Daily Maverick 168. The newspaper is published on Saturdays and is edited by Heather Robertson. It is sold exclusively at Pick 'n Pay retail shops, retailing at R20, but is available free of charge for to members of the retail outlets loyalty programme.[21]

Business model

Since inception in 2009, the publication has focused on original content.[6][22][23] Content is free for Internet users to access, without a paywall, and is funded via advertising.[1] Its online advertising model features display advertising focused on a single large premium banner ad per page which is separated from editorial content.[24][15][25]

As at September 2012, the Daily Maverick team included 20 full-time journalists and editorial support staff and a network of op-ed contributors.[15][16]

In 2018, the Daily Maverick launched Maverick Insider - a voluntary membership plan that doesn't have a paywall or standard donation request. Instead, contributions from readers will keep the Daily Maverick free for those who can’t afford to pay. [26]

The Daily Maverick hosts articles by Declassified UK, a group of independent journalists who investigate British foreign policy, the UK military and intelligence agencies and Britains most powerful corporations.[27]

Reception

In an early article about the new website, business writer Chantelle Benjamin says it "appears user-friendly, with interesting content" and an "attractive layout".[7]

The Mail & Guardian newspaper describes Daily Maverick as an "independent newspaper",[28] and Mail & Guardian executive editor Tanya Pampalone says "It's part Slate, a bit Daily Beast, with a helping of Huffington Post, but it's all home-grown, serving up local news with fresh angles and international news with insight into why it matters to South Africa".[29][30]

In 2011 Anton Harber, Caxton Professor of Journalism at Wits University and founding editor of the Mail & Guardian, describes Brkic as "a groundbreaker in South African publishing" and Daily Maverick as "a lively and valuable site, full of opinions and analysis that live up to the site's name and which regularly shows up the dull and predictable publishing that dominates our mainstream".[31] In 2013 he says Daily Maverick "pushes the journalistic boundaries, sometimes with great success and occasionally crossing a line" and describes Daily Maverick as a "shelter for the homeless of journalism, who demand more freedom than they get in the more staid newsrooms".[32]

Media commentator Gill Moodie says "The thoughtful, left-field news and analysis website quickly picked up an audience and became a fixture in our media landscape".[16][33]

Daily Maverick set the editorial agenda on major news stories in 2012 including the Marikana miners' strike.[34][35] Herman Manson, editor of media website MarkLives, says "in terms of insight into what's happening at grassroots and political intelligence, they have emerged as a clear front-runner".[36]Sipho Hlongwane, who was named Best Youngster at the 2012 Bookmarks Awards,[37] described it as "unspeakably white and upper-middle-class" before becoming a Daily Maverick contributor himself. However, former deputy editor Phillip de Wet has described their ideal demographic as "young, black and urban".[2][29]

In July 2013, the globally syndicated radio show This American Life opened Episode 501: "The View From In Here" with a reading of Richard Poplak's satirical "Open letter to South Africa from foreign media" published in Daily Maverick the previous month.[38]

In November 2013, Bill Keller described Daily Maverick as "feisty" in an op-ed in The New York Times about foreign news coverage.[39]

As at July 2013 the website had exceeded 300,000 unique users per month.[32]

Other ventures

In February 2011, the Daily Maverick team launched online newspaper for the African continent Free African Media,[40][41] and in June 2011 they launched subscription-based iPad newspaper iMaverick.[28][42] They also beta launched the Newsfire newswire service, which is a separate business entity, at the ANC National Conference in Mangaung in December 2012.[16][43]

In 2019, the Daily Maverick began hosting investigative journalism website Declassified UK, founded that year by journalist Matt Kennard and historian Mark Curtis.[44]

Awards
  • 2010 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Publisher Awards – Best Editorial Team – Daily Maverick[45]
  • 2011 Bookmarks – Product Awards – Email Marketing – Email Publication – Silver – First Thing Newsletter – Daily Maverick[46]
  • 2011 Bookmarks – Craft Awards – Editorial (Media – News, Magazines, Radio and TV Stations/Networks) – Silver – Daily Maverick[46]
  • 2011 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Awards – Best Digital Editorial Individual – Stephen Grootes – Daily Maverick[46]
  • 2012 Bookmarks – Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Publisher Sites (Mass Appeal) > R5m Turnover – Bronze – Daily Maverick and iMaverick[37]
  • 2012 Bookmarks – Core Awards – Email Marketing – Email Publication – Silver – First Thing Newsletter – Daily Maverick[37]
  • 2012 Bookmarks – Core Awards – Applications and Tools – Tablet Publication – Bronze – iMaverick[37]
  • 2012 Bookmarks – Core Awards – Integrated / Mixed Media – Multi-platform Publisher – Bronze – First Thing Newsletter, Daily Maverick and iMaverick – Daily Maverick[37]
  • 2012 Bookmarks – Craft Awards – Editorial (Media – News, Magazines, Radio and TV Stations/Networks) – Silver – First Thing Newsletter, Daily Maverick and iMaverick – Daily Maverick[37]
  • 2012 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Awards – The Digital Maverick – Branko Brkic[37]
  • 2012 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Awards – Best Digital Editorial Individual – Branko Brkic – Daily Maverick and iMaverick[37]
  • 2012 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Awards – Best Youngster – Sipho Hlongwane – Daily Maverick[37]
  • 2012 Bookmarks – Special Honours Awards – Best Publishing House – Daily Maverick and iMaverick[37]
  • 2012 SAB Sports Media Awards – New Media – Social Media Correspondent of the Year – Styli Charalambous – Daily Maverick[47]
  • 2012 Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism – Runner-up – Greg Marinovich – Daily Maverick[48]
  • 2013 Vodacom National Journalist of the Year Online winner – Greg Marinovich – Daily Maverick[49]
  • 2013 Bookmarks – Craft Awards – Editorial (Media – News, Magazines, Radio and TV Stations/Networks) – Silver - Daily Maverick[50]
  • 2013 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Awards – Best Digital Editorial Individual – Rebecca Davis – Daily Maverick[50]
  • 2016 SAB Sports Media Awards - Digital Media - Converged Media [51]
  • 2016 SAB Sports Media Awards - Digital Media - Written Media [51]
  • 2016 SAB Sports Media Awards - Digital Media - Online Video [51]

See also

References
  1. "Daily Maverick: About us". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  2. "Daily Maverick: Opinionistas". Daily Maverick. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  3. "Daily Maverick's Gathering 2.0: Bringing together those who shape South Africa" (Press release). link2media.co.za. 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013. Styli Charalambous, Publisher – Daily Maverick & iMaverick
  4. "Daily Maverick launches new website 'for people who matter'". Bizcommunity.com. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  5. "Guardian Africa network". Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  6. McLeod, Duncan (8 September 2009). "With less hubris, a maverick publisher is back for another go". TechCentral. Retrieved 28 March 2013. Influenced by the Daily Beast and the Huffington Post, two popular American news websites, Brkic wants the Daily Maverick to be people's one-stop online read. And he wants them to love reading it.
  7. Benjamin, Chantelle (30 October 2009). "Insightful Maverick reborn online". Business Day. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  8. Moerdyk, Chris (14 October 2008). "Death of a true maverick empire". Bizcommunity.com. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  9. Manson, Herman (7 July 2011). "Alan Knott-Craig Jnr builds an app business". Bizcommunity. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  10. Davis, Rebecca (3 July 2012). "Mobinomics: A story about the social network". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  11. Muller, Rudolph (4 October 2010). "Knott-Craig and World of Avatar pushing millions into tech". MyBroadband.co.za. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  12. "World of Avatar". Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  13. "Alan Knott-Craig Jr on birthing World of Avatar, sealing the Mxit deal". ventureburn. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  14. Knott-Craig, Alan; Silber, Gus (2012). Mobinomics: Mxit and Africa’s Mobile Revolution (PDF). Pan Macmillan South Africa. p. 20. ISBN 9781920434366.
  15. Charalambous, Styli (12 September 2012). "How Daily Maverick made digital display ads work". Bizcommunity.com. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  16. Moodie, Gill (21 February 2013). "Maverick's inspiring success – and on to the next level [entrepreneurial journalists]". Grubstreet. Archived from the original on 1 March 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  17. "Our Team". Hercules Capital. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  18. "iMaverick, Daily Maverick co-founder leaves". Bizcommunity.com. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  19. "Who's Who SA: Phillip de Wet". whoswho.co.za. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  20. de Waal, Mandy (28 January 2013). "ANALYSIS: Mamphela Ramphele to the rescue?". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 September 2013. Daily Maverick’s own associate editor, Ranjeni Munusamy, has spoken to DA 'deep throats' who say it is only a matter of time before Ramphele joins the opposition.
  21. Maverick, Daily (5 August 2020). "Editorial: Fellow South Africans, we're launching a weekly newspaper. In the middle of the pandemic". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  22. "Daily Maverick drives 18% of website traffic from their daily newsletter". Everlytic. 7 February 2013. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013. Daily Maverick is one of South Africa's most stimulating free-to air high-end online publications with a unique blend of news, information, expert analysis and opinion. Their main focus is quality reporting told in a unique writing style and is known best as a 100% original content publisher. Their readers largely consist of decision-makers in business, government and entrepreneurs.
  23. Roed, Fred (21 November 2011). "1 Min. With A Superhero: Styli Charalambous, CEO of Daily Maverick". Ideate. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  24. Moerdyk, Chris (2 November 2009). "Maverick magazine is reborn – online". Bizcommunity.com. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  25. "A case study in digital publishing and display advertising October 2009 – September 2012" (PDF). Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  26. "How Daily Maverick is driving community with Maverick Insider". Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  27. "About Declassified UK". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  28. "Daily Maverick's iMaverick unveiled". Mail & Guardian. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  29. Pampalone, Tanya (10 September 2010). "The site your mom warned you about". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  30. "Tanya Pampalone". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  31. Harber, Anton (6 July 2011). "Content the name of the game in iPad publishing". Business Day. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  32. Harber, Anton (11 July 2013). "Best, worst of times for online 'maverick'". Business Day. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  33. "Gill Moodie's profile on Bizcommunity". Bizcommunity.com. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  34. Manson, Herman. "Marikana: Watershed moment for online journalism in SA as Daily Maverick sets ed agenda". MarkLives. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  35. Moodie, Gill. "Media Awards 2012: Never a dull moment". Bizcommunity.com. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  36. Nevill, Glenda (14 March 2013). "Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Print Is Not Dead, Long Live Digital". Rhodes University. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  37. "Digital brilliance rewarded at this year's Bookmarks Awards". DMMA. 2 November 2012. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  38. "The View From In Here". This American Life. Chicago Public Media. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  39. Keller, Bill (4 November 2013). "It's the Golden Age of News". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 November 2013. I’ll probably drop by a feisty news website called The Daily Maverick in another country I follow, South Africa
  40. "About us". Free African Media. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  41. Bischof, Jackie (22 February 2011). "Idealistic turn for Daily Mav. in Free African Media". Journalism.co.za. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  42. Shapshak, Tony (4 July 2011). "News you can touch". Times LIVE. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  43. "Daily Maverick Team Launches Newswire Service" (Press release). TheMarketingSite.com. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  44. "About Declassified UK". Declassified UK. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  45. "Bookmarks 2010 winners showcase growth, vibrancy of SA online media". DMMA. 19 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  46. "Bookmarks Awards 2011 Winners!". DMMA. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  47. "Sports Media Awards highlight professionalism in South Africa". Bizcommunity.com. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  48. Harber, Anton (6 April 2013). "The best investigative journalism of 2012 – Anton Harber". Politicsweb. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  49. "Vodacom announces National Journalist of the Year winner" (Press release). Vodacom. 4 November 2013. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  50. "The Bookmarks 2013 Winners List". DMMA. 15 November 2013. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  51. "SOUTH AFRICAN SPORTS MEDIA APPLAUDED AT 36th ANNUAL SAB SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS | SiwenguStaff". Retrieved 23 November 2016.

Further reading
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