A serious and respected journalist, Janine Lazarus reminds all who participate in her media training workshops that "it’s important to be authentic...there’s no point trying to be a replica of someone else." Lazarus certainly lives up to this statement. After 24 years of weaving through the many facets of the South African media, Lazarus has emerged as a forefront figure in the field, knowing what she wants and how to get it. She has done everything from investigative reporting to crime coverage to women’s magazine writing and has more than dabbled in nearly every type of media outlet. Consequently, she has found success despite harsh editors, stereotypes and dissuasions, and has become an acclaimed journalist in the mainstream print and electronic media, as well as a TV presenter, producer and radio talk show host.

RAP 21 interviewed Janine Lazarus on her career, the obstacles she has faced, and how she contributes to improve the overall media landscape at home and abroad.

RAP 21: You have had an expansive journalistic career, could you provide RAP 21 readers with a recap?

Janine Lazarus: I cut my teeth on a small community newspaper making tea and sandwiches... News reporting, said the editor of the paper, was simply not my forte. He told me I would be better served selling advertising space. I think I may have proved him wrong...

After 16 months of covering dull community gatherings, I found myself facing one of the nastiest editors in town. He had the notorious reputation of being the worst boss to work for in a national daily newspaper, and he wasted no time in making an absolute mockery of me. But he also gave me the chance I was looking for.

On my very first day in the newsroom, I was thrown into the deep end and faced my first bloody township riot. I came back to my desk shaking from head to foot - not so much because of the horror of what I had seen, but because I didn’t have the faintest clue of how to even begin writing a news report.

After covering general news for close to a year, I decided that the next career move would be to work for the biggest selling Sunday newspaper in South Africa, The Sunday Times. I called the editor and his personal assistant told me that he was in a meeting. I waited a while and then called again - this time changing my accent. I told her it was a life or death situation. She put me through to him. He swore at me - loudly - but I got the job. I covered crime for nearly 3 years for the paper and gave the job my everything. I loved the thrill of the chase and the adrenalin rush of landing an exclusive story.

When it was time for another move, I found myself working as an investigative journalist at a more serious weekend newspaper, The Saturday Star. To this day, the editor of that newspaper will always be my hero. He taught me more lessons in life than any other newsman I’ve ever had the privilege of working for. I would have done just about anything to earn his recognition.

I left newspapers when a stray bullet in one of South Africa’s volatile townships hit one of the chief photographers of a leading daily paper. He died instantly. I knew rationally that the show had to go on, but this photographer was one of seven cameramen that had died in the violence. I was simply too sad to continue.

I tried my hand at magazine writing and landed a job as the Johannesburg bureau chief of a leading woman’s magazine, Fairlady Magazine. I also freelanced for several years, but I can’t say that I loved it. I missed the cut-and-thrust of newspapers.

I then took a break from hard news and moved into education as Head of Journalism at a national college, Damelin College. I treated my class as a newsroom and my students like cub reporters. Today, I watch a few of them on television with so much admiration.

My next goal was to become a talk show host of what is still the leading talk radio station in the country. I went for voice training lessons with what little spare cash I had, but was rejected outright five times by the station manager. I think he eventually gave me a shot out of sheer frustration...In five years I had my own show, I learned first hand how different the spoken word is to the written word. I still really love the power of radio.

Working for television meant having to relearn how different the various mediums are. I anchored a hard news crime programme and also headed up the research desk of a popular local crime drama series. Then I acquired a taste for international television, and worked as a researcher/fixer for the British Granada Television network, Channel 4, the BBC and Ireland’s Ulster Television.

RAP 21: Could you tell RAP 21 about the structure and history of your company, Janine Lazarus Media Consultancy?

Janine Lazarus: The idea of becoming a media and communications consultant came by default. I was at a point in my career where I simply had enough of hard news. Crime and violence was becoming my frame of reference, and I never seemed to get the balance right between my professional and personal life. I joined a public relations company for 3 abysmal months, but it probably took less than 3 days to work out that this type of career was definitely not for me... But I also learned something so valuable: that it’s never too late to use a life experience to reinvent oneself.

I started a media consultancy group and couldn’t pay the rent for 2 years, but I kept at it and have never looked back. I have the unique perspective of seeing things from both sides of the fence, and believe that this gives me the authenticity to provide credible training programmes. My clients know me as a straight shooter and I’m blessed that many of them appreciate me for it. I tell them things as they are - and not as they think it should be.

My training methodology is highly experiential. Delegates experience what it feels like to be in ‘the hot seat’ under the harsh glare of a camera. They are expected to volley and to cope with tough questions, all while keeping their cool. And we all have so much fun. No client is the same, which is why I pride myself on providing customized coaching programmes. I hate the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. People are individuals and must be treated as such.

RAP 21: What obstacles have you encountered and how have you overcome them?

Janine Lazarus: I’ve learned the hard way that you can’t be liked by all of the people all of the time. It’s important to be authentic and to be true to yourself. This is something that I pass in each and every workshop. It’s no point trying to be a replica of someone else.

Many high-powered businessmen sometimes tend to view a woman with an unhealthy dose of scepticism, so it’s necessary to break through those misconceptions before doing anything else. And it can be tough.

Also, many public relations companies believe that they can do the same job, so there is a lot of competitiveness in the same market space. I believe that individuals need to focus on their specific area of expertise and consult others for the extra edge they might need to offer a complete service.

RAP 21: Do you have any comments to make on the position of women in the media in South Africa and in the other countries you have worked in?

Janine Lazarus: We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. Women journalists in South Africa are held in high esteem, but unfortunately, they are not held in high regard in other African countries. There is still that ‘barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen’ myth that is very much part and parcel of their daily reality. Unfortunately, gender stereotypes also still persist in the media, made even worse by the fact that stories of rape and women abuse are not afforded the same kind of prominence as other news.

RAP 21: Through the journalistic trainings you provide has there been a set of skills you most often try to relay to participants?

Janine Lazarus: The main thrust of my workshops is to say what you mean and to mean what you say, without belabouring the point. Your audience pays you with their time. They aren’t interested in hearing everything you have to say. Effective communication is about keeping your audience firmly in mind, determining a few key messages, and keeping things short and simple. Less is always more.

RAP 21: What areas in the media still need to be critically addressed and dealt with, specifically via the kind of trainings you offer?

Janine Lazarus: Becoming proactive in media approaches - as opposed to being reactive. There is no value in knee-jerk reactions. Preparation is the key. But having said that, sounding rehearsed doesn’t cut it either. If you know what your key messages are, you are ready and able to engage with the media.

I also believe strongly in the power of decentralized communications. Having only one spokesperson to do the job is like an accident waiting to happen. It’s important to empower key individuals in the organisation with skills to effectively communicate company messages.