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31 January 2018
Photo FNB Varsity Cup
Lubabalo Dobela, Shimlas flyhalf (with the ball), played a key role in the Shimlas’ win over Tuks in the first round of the 2018 Varsity Cup.
The Shimlas made a huge statement in their opening match of the 2018 Varsity Cup when they defeated last year’s champions at the Tuks Rugby Stadium in Pretoria.
The Free State students won the encounter against Tuks by 19-17 on Monday.
Tuks, who beat Shimlas twice last year, first in the group stage by 65-19, and then by 28-21 in the semifinals, were regarded as the hot favourites. The match was played in wet conditions which many thought would suit the home team better.
Determination carries team to win
But a young and inexperienced Shimlas team with 11 players making their debut in the competition proved that big hearts and guts count for just as much. It was only their third win in Pretoria in the 11th year of the competition and their second victory over Tuks since 2012.
As expected, both teams tightened up their approach. Shimlas struck back from a 0-5 deficit soon after the first strategy break as big and speedy wing Francois Agenbag stormed down the touchline to score a seven-point try. Flyhalf Lubabalo Dobela was on hand to convert and hand his team a 9-5 lead at the break.
Flyhalf stars in debut
The Shimlas extended their lead within five minutes of the restart as flank Benji Janse van Vuuren crashed over in the corner for a converted try. Dobela, one of the debutants who was named Player that Rocks (Player of the Match), controlled the match like a seasoned veteran. Apart from two difficult conversions from the touchline, he also slotted a penalty goal.
Photo manipulation in journalism: evil, crutch or lifebuoy?
2017-09-04
Albe Grobbelaar, veteran journalist and lecturer in the
Department of Communication Science at the UFS.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin
Since the 1800s the manipulation of photographs has been common practice, and who can forget the OJ Simpson Time magazine cover in 1994? Albe Grobbelaar, lecturer in the Department of Communication Science at the University of the Free State (UFS), asked in a special lecture on 18 August 2017 whether “Photo manipulation in Journalism” was an evil habit, a crutch or a lifebuoy.
“As a journalist I have always been interested in photography. And the principle of photo manipulation or tampering with photos, as we call it, is something that has interested me ever since,” Grobbelaar said. Photo manipulation is an area that has garnered many academic interest and is not a new trend but a practice that started in the 1830s when photos came into popular use. “It is not always done with ulterior motives, artists played with photographs to get unique effects.” Photo manipulation is not only to create fake news, but is sometimes used to convey novelty and create shock to news readers.
Different viewpoints for different circumstances
He talked about the spectrum of viewpoints on photo manipulation. Some conservative journalism schools say photos should never be retouched while other feel it is fine to tamper with pictures. “What I tried to convey in the lecture was that one should consider different circumstances differently,” Grobbelaar said. As a journalist he believes that news photos should never be manipulated.
He mentioned the example of the mugshot of OJ Simpson that the Los Angeles Police Department released to the media. “Newsweek and Time both used the photo on their front pages, but Time deliberately darkened the picture so that OJ, a black man, would appear more sinister,” Grobbelaar said. It is, however, common practice in the fashion industry to retouch images that are used in fashion magazines.
Use own judgment to validate photos
In the age of social media it has become easy to manipulate photos and which has been labelled fake news. “I would advise people to use their own judgment when validating the authenticity of photos,” Grobbelaar said. It is important to verify whether they are from a reliable news outlet.