Growing up, my dad and I would bond over our love for cars.
This featured long road trips, young me pointing out sightings of my favourite four-wheeled beasts — knowing their specifications off by heart. My year in the motoring media firmament has made some of my wildest dreams come true. But I think there are some areas crying for a major facelift.
When I say motoring journalism, the chances are likely that your preferred practitioners in the space still largely resemble a Jeremy Clarkson archetype. From what I observed over the last 12 months as a producer at Ignition TV, attending launches and experiencing the overall circuit, this is an industry that is largely untransformed.
As warmly as some of my colleagues embraced me, a black woman, it seemed that one had to work twice as hard to justify a presence in the space.
Speaking to my female counterparts that have been in the industry for over a decade, experience has shown that making mistakes is catastrophic, while our male colleagues could make the exact same mistake and it will be taken as a light slip.
Big motoring publications and the industry at large ought to invest more in cultivating female voices within the establishment. It will bring fresh perspectives and a more proportional representation of half of our population.
Motoring journalism also displays characteristics of a niche market — and yet the car-buying business is not so. You don’t need to be a petrolhead to want to know about or buy a car. Audiences would be better served if they didn’t have to struggle decoding dense reviews laden with technical jargon. I’m not saying dumb it down, but surely we can find a healthy balance between the nitty-gritty and relatable simplification?
This is an approach consumers are going to appreciate when it comes to reportage on electric vehicles, for example. A topic with new terms, innovative technologies and practices we are all still getting to grips with — like having to plug one’s car in for a charge!
I really believe that the motoring space as a whole still has a long way to go, representation is paramount to the success and evolution of the field. However, the fact that I got to experience this world is an omen of progress, I am grateful to the people that opened doors.
And while my producer role is referred to in past tense, don’t worry, I still have plans to contribute meaningfully to the industry on the road ahead.
Zimkhita Kweza is emigrating to the UK to further her education.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
OPINION | Why the local motoring media space needs a facelift
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Growing up, my dad and I would bond over our love for cars.
This featured long road trips, young me pointing out sightings of my favourite four-wheeled beasts — knowing their specifications off by heart. My year in the motoring media firmament has made some of my wildest dreams come true. But I think there are some areas crying for a major facelift.
When I say motoring journalism, the chances are likely that your preferred practitioners in the space still largely resemble a Jeremy Clarkson archetype. From what I observed over the last 12 months as a producer at Ignition TV, attending launches and experiencing the overall circuit, this is an industry that is largely untransformed.
As warmly as some of my colleagues embraced me, a black woman, it seemed that one had to work twice as hard to justify a presence in the space.
Speaking to my female counterparts that have been in the industry for over a decade, experience has shown that making mistakes is catastrophic, while our male colleagues could make the exact same mistake and it will be taken as a light slip.
Big motoring publications and the industry at large ought to invest more in cultivating female voices within the establishment. It will bring fresh perspectives and a more proportional representation of half of our population.
Motoring journalism also displays characteristics of a niche market — and yet the car-buying business is not so. You don’t need to be a petrolhead to want to know about or buy a car. Audiences would be better served if they didn’t have to struggle decoding dense reviews laden with technical jargon. I’m not saying dumb it down, but surely we can find a healthy balance between the nitty-gritty and relatable simplification?
This is an approach consumers are going to appreciate when it comes to reportage on electric vehicles, for example. A topic with new terms, innovative technologies and practices we are all still getting to grips with — like having to plug one’s car in for a charge!
I really believe that the motoring space as a whole still has a long way to go, representation is paramount to the success and evolution of the field. However, the fact that I got to experience this world is an omen of progress, I am grateful to the people that opened doors.
And while my producer role is referred to in past tense, don’t worry, I still have plans to contribute meaningfully to the industry on the road ahead.
Zimkhita Kweza is emigrating to the UK to further her education.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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