Basson will oversee
News24’s national team of journalists and multimedia content producers,
the syndication service News24Wire and the country’s biggest digital financial and sports
platforms,
Fin24 and
Sport24.
“Adriaan is a widely respected journalist and editor and exactly the right person to take
News24
to even greater heights,” said Media24 chief executive Esmaré Weideman. “He brings gravitas
to the country’s biggest digital news asset.”
Basson, an award-winning investigative journalist with 13 years experience at
Beeld,
City Press
and the
Mail & Guardian, says he is excited about leading the winning team at
News24.
“It is an
enormous honour and privilege. I have always been a huge fan of this market leader of online
news and entertainment in South Africa. News24 has revolutionised our digital media
landscape – six million people don’t lie,” said Basson, referring to
News24’s average monthly
unique browsers.
In September 2015 Basson was appointed editor-in-chief of
Netwerk24, which has grown to
become the fifth largest online news platform in the country with 1.3 million monthly unique
browsers just over a year since its launch.
A recipient of the CNN
African Journalist of the Year Award for news, the Standard Bank
Sikuvile Journalist of the Year Award, and the
Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism,
Basson is also the author of two books:
Zuma Exposed (Jonathan Ball) and
Finish & Klaar:
Selebi’s Fall from Interpol to the Underworld (Tafelberg).
“The challenges our industry face are immense,” said Basson. “We are in constant transition
between platforms and distribution channels. I am confident that News24 will remain the market
leader with the right mix of breaking news, entertainment and probing journalism.”
For more information, visit
www.news24.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on
Facebook or on
Twitter.