At today’s Daily Maverick’s flagship event, The Gathering 2025, Jillian Green, the media outlet’s Managing Editor, delivered a stark reminder of the peril and purpose of journalism in an era of crisis, framing the profession not simply as a job but as a moral imperative and collective service. Her address wove together international press freedom, the dangers facing reporters, Daily Maverick’s own struggles against suppression, and a vision for local journalism as a lifeline for South African democracy.
“There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and shame the devil,” Green said at the outset, invoking the stakes of her profession. She pointed to an alarming surge in journalist deaths worldwide: 88 in 2022, 129 in 2023, and 230 killed in Gaza since the outbreak of war. For Green, these figures were not abstract statistics but “colleagues… being murdered, often in circumstances where they’re the last witnesses to unspeakable horrors.”
Journalism in Peril
Her words came as a sobering backdrop to an audience gathered in Cape Town to debate South Africa’s path forward. Green described the current media environment as “sailing in extremely dangerous waters,” demanding “considered, value-driven and morally inspired navigation if we are to survive.” For her, journalism’s essence lies not only in truth-telling but in its alignment with human rights: “It is a spirit that stands on the side of human rights, no matter the situation. And so we trim ourselves with true telling that can shift the trajectory. This is the why of our work.”
A Pledge of Independence
Green reinforced Daily Maverick’s core identity as “woefully independent,” driven by an “unbreakable spirit” despite legal intimidation, financial pressure, and outright threats. She recalled a recent urgent interdict lodged in the Johannesburg High Court aimed at silencing journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh’s investigation into alleged irregularities at the Independent Development Trust.
“It even sought to stop us from speaking about this at this very Gathering,” Green noted. “I’m happy to say it was unsuccessful.” Legal challenges, she said, are costly and exhausting, but also reminders that “journalism is a calling, a service to the greater good.”
From Global to Local
While honouring fallen colleagues worldwide, Green also stressed the urgent need to revive South Africa’s municipal journalism. Corruption, she said, is most acutely felt at the local level, coinciding with the decline of community reporting. “And it’s no coincidence that with the decline of local journalism, so too came the decline of our cities,” she argued.
To counter this erosion, Daily Maverick has begun building a network of metro bureaus. In May, it launched its first local bureau in Nelson Mandela Bay, with the “Baywatch” newsletter already providing accountability to residents. “Joburg, the city I call home, is crumbling,” Green said. “Streets are potholed, water leaks are commonplace. There’s no accountability and we’ve got to bring it back. And so we are. Our next metro bureau will be in Johannesburg, launching in October.”
Her long-term vision is for similar bureaus across South Africa’s ten largest metros. “And we can do it with your help,” she told the audience.
Journalism that Sparks Change
Green listed several Daily Maverick investigations that have had concrete consequences: uncovering irregularities in mental health facilities during the Life Esidimeni tragedy, revealing failures that left children hungry during school holidays, and helping to bring down the controversial Karpowership deal. “Many of our stories, done with the help of brave ordinary citizens, often become the spark that lights the fire which draws attention from other players whose action, alongside our own, burns change into the lived realities of our people,” she said.
The impact, she argued, is not merely symbolic. “Our industry has saved our nation billions in recovered and halted corruption. And yet the corruption continues.”
Building a New Public Square
A key announcement in her speech was the launch of Daily Maverick Connect, an online community for subscribers and readers to engage beyond the limitations of social media. “We believe that Daily Maverick Connect will provide the connection that social media promised but failed dismally to deliver,” she said. The platform, she added, would become “your space to network, to connect, to talk, to listen and to pitch in.”
She tied this initiative to the Maverick Insider programme, which has sustained the organisation through reader contributions for the past seven years. “It’s why, for the cost of four cappuccinos a month, you become insiders,” she told the audience, highlighting how community support underpins their investigative independence.
The Gathering as Catalyst
Green urged participants not to view the conference as a spectacle but as a call to action. “This gathering is an opportunity for change-making. It is dialogue anchored in action. It is a witnessing of powerful stories of real changemakers, living examples of what courage, innovation and resilience can achieve.”
She pressed attendees to see themselves as active participants rather than passive observers. “Today we invite you to listen deeply, to challenge assumptions, to bring new ideas into the public square, and to leave this gathering with the courage to act.”
A Rough Draft of History
In closing, Green reflected on the imperfect but urgent nature of journalism. “The stories we produce are often, as the saying goes, a very rough draft of history. It can be messy, often imperfect, yet have unquestionable impact.”
For her, the fight for press freedom, local accountability, and citizen engagement is not an abstract exercise but a survival imperative for South Africa’s democracy. “Change will come from the collective energy of all who gather,” she said, thanking the audience for their involvement, support, and constructive criticism.
Green ended her speech with a tri-lingual gesture — “Nkosi. Dankie. Thank you.” — underscoring her appeal for unity and solidarity in turbulent times.
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