Beeld’s unfortunate demise: How corporate transitions should not be managed

Barnard Beukman, Beeld’s 12th and last editor, talks to freelance journalist, Wilma de Bruin, on his book on the circumstances around the title’s demise (Image supplied)

Unbeknownst to him, Beeld’s editorial staff and most of South Africa’s media fraternity, the popular Gauteng daily, (along with other popular and well-established titles in the Media24 stable) would no longer be available in print at the end of the year.

The media landscape was in turmoil, readers were perturbed and journalists out in the cold.

Fast forward, and Beukman decided to take it upon himself to document the circumstances around the title’s demise in an insightful book titled Die (vreemde) einde van ’n koerant (The (strange) ending of a newspaper).

Within weeks, there was keen interest in the book with discussions and festivals engaging the writer from Kaapsehoop in Mpumalanga to Secunda, Potchefstroom, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Stellenbosch, Hermanus and more. And still the buzz continues.

Freelance journalist Wilma de Bruin spoke to Beukman.

What motivated you to document the unexpected closure of Beeld (along with several other established Media24 newspapers)?

Interestingly, the book starts with the question of whether it was even necessary to write it.

Some of the people I consulted whether to write a book or not advised that I should rather leave it and move on, as it would just trigger unpleasant memories.

But ultimately, the importance of contemplating the day cannot be underestimated, and I believe the case made for it in the book is solid.

Newspapers like Beeld and Rapport carried a rich media history, and it was never going to be about simply shutting it down and thinking it won't be noticed.

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How did the readers react to your book? And was there any feedback from Media24, Naspers management?

I reckoned it was going to be pretty much a niche book for the last journalists and readers of Beeld, but surprisingly, there has been a much wider surge in interest.

The general feedback until now is positive, and readers say they find it a compelling, and even a much-needed story about what happened.
And this reaction makes the effort worthwhile.

Prof Jannie Rossouw, former head of Wits Business School, wrote in Nuusweek that the book should be prescribed to all business school students to show them how corporate transitions should not be managed.

About reaction from the company, I believe there is no expectation or reason for any company to react to such a book.

Some employees who read the book reached out to say it was necessary.

They felt it might contribute to protect them better against possible future ludicrous corporate practices.

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In your opinion, why should Beeld, and the other print titles that were closed, have been granted a reprieve from the “corporate guillotine”?

Die Burger, the Afrikaans daily in the Western Cape, is still being printed as well as many English titles, even Daily Maverick.

I believe there was still enough room to, for example, consider a weekly Beeld or a city-only report, even if this was announced as a 24-month transition to electronic PDF pages.

I reckon there is enough proof that this was still possible.

In February 2024, in an interview with BizCommunity, you were still very upbeat about Beeld, its role to inform its readers about developments in the community and the country at large. However, by the end of that year, Beeld was no more. How did this all play out?

This is the essence of the story captured in the book.

It was a roller coaster six months with nonsensical directions at every turn.

The one moment, for example, all journalists were out on the street.

The next moment, there was suddenly enough money to keep them all on board.

At the end of the day, this was a big loss for a smaller but still important and high-income readership community.

A book review that was recently published on online Rapport, by Francois Bekker, noted that the book is not an emotional outburst, but evenly reasoned and balanced.

We accept the reality of the big move to online. But there could and should have been a different outcome.

This is only my view and other people may differ.

The abrupt way in which legacy brands were discarded created fear that it might happen again in future ,with online brands now being dished out to them

(Image supplied)

What was the negative effect of the abrupt announcement of Beeld's closure downstream?

It created a lot of distrust in the advertising community and confusion about where media, in general, is heading.

The abrupt way in which legacy brands were discarded, created fear that it might happen again in future with online brands now being dished out to them.

Also, the entire media industry took an income knock as a result of this happening. And that, of course, is negative for the future sustainability of media.

And then another factor: it took two English media icons – former editors Peter Bruce and Anton Harber – to point out the detrimental effect on Afrikaans and the Afrikaans community as a result of this loss.

In his column on Business Live, Anton Harber said, “There are two schools of thought on the Media24 announcement that the group is moving rapidly away from print and focusing on its online products: the nostalgic and the futurists…who have led the company from a single-language local publisher to a global multimedia giant in the past three decades.

“The nostalgic are correct that much will be lost with the demise of these print titles…“these newspapers’ roles in communities, particularly language communities as pillars of identity and common purpose, are not easily replaced online, where English is dominant and content is more fragmented. Most digital platforms are programmed to promote argument and disagreement rather than social cohesion.

“The futurists are best represented by Naspers chair, Koos Bekker. In a weekend article in one of the newspapers he is closing, Bekker argued that the change is inevitable and desirable, comparable to the discovery of reusable type. Embrace the change, as there is little to gain from fighting it, was his message. What he didn’t deal with, was the concern about the shrinkage of our news industry and the uncertainty of how many voices can survive in digital format.”

In Sunday Times, former Business Day Editor, Peter Bruce, described the closure of Media24 titles, including Rapport and Beeld, “as a serious attack on the language, even a bigger threat than the Bela law”. According to him, it is an unimaginable cultural tragedy and totally unnecessary.

How would you, ideally, have seen it play out?

I thought that at least there should have been an in-depth, inclusive discussion for solutions or alternatives.

But there was simply no respect for the readers, staff, former editors, advertisers and more.

Every company goes through a cycle where it ends up with too many members of the C-team in key roles. This was part of the problem.

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On a more positive note: single out some highlights from your tenure as Beeld’s last editor?

When I was offered the opportunity of becoming Beeld’s editor, I knew that newspapers were no longer the big influencers they used to be.
Nevertheless, it was still a huge privilege to be a newspaper editor. I enjoyed every moment.

Living on the forefront of capturing history in the making, every day, along with a team of brilliant journalists, made it all worthwhile.

Also, the interaction with and making a difference for readers.

The reality and worth of media and Media24 are much bigger than one season of madness

Coming a long way with Media24 on both the publishing and editorial side. What would you single out as some memories that you will cherish or rather discard?

I have immense gratitude for the job experiences of a lifetime, either as a journalist or my 11 years in the publishing division.

Even with a new digital future, I would still recommend Media24 as an employer for aspiring journalists.

The reality and worth of media and Media24 are much bigger than one season of madness.

Your future plans? Another book perhaps?

I am still invited to contribute to news analysis and enjoy doing some strategic communication, as well as writing.

I’m very excited about the formation of the Afrikaans Media Stigting (Foundation) for the enhancement of Afrikaans media.

The objective is to contribute to a well-informed society by strengthening independent Afrikaans media and journalists, including the value they offer.

Writing a book is a very intense experience. However, I may attempt it again. There is already talk of an exciting title for next year…