Daily Maverick

''Daily Maverick'' is a South African daily online publication and weekly print newspaper, with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Its readership is spread across South Africa and the world, with approximately 8 million readers per month. It was founded in 2009 by Branko Brkic, who is also the Editor-in-Chief of the publication, and Styli Charalambous, the Chief Executive Officer. The slogan of ''Daily Maverick'' is Defend Truth.  

Its website describes it as “a unique blend of news, information, analysis and opinion delivered from our newsrooms in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa”.

''Daily Maverick'' is privately owned. The publication is funded predominately via philanthropy, commercial revenue, and reader support, the latter derived from Maverick Insider, the membership programme.

Jillian Green and Janet Heard are the two managing editors. ''Daily Maverick'' is split across different sections: Business Maverick, Maverick Citizen, Maverick Life, Maverick Sports, Scorpio – the investigative unit, Our Burning Planet and Thank God it’s Food (TGIF)
Don’t Shoot The Messenger
an
Maverick Sports
podcasts; documentaries, the first of which i
Influence
directed by Richard Poplak and Diana Neille, and was selected at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020.

All articles published by ''Daily Maverick'' are available for free on the publication’s platform.

History

Branko Brkic arrived in South Africa in 1991 after having fled his native Yugoslavia to escape Slobodan Milošević’s civil war. At the time, he owned the country’s biggest independent book publisher. On his arrival in South Africa, he had R2 500 in assets and spoke almost no English.

In 2005, fourteen years later, he launched Maverick Magazine, followed by Empire Magazine in 2007. The magazines featured long-form current affairs and business articles. However, both magazines collapsed in 2008.

''Daily Maverick'' was launched as a fully online, daily publication just over a year later, on 30 October 2009.

The book detailing the origin and history of the publication, We Have a Game Changer, describes ''Daily Maverick'': "Eagle-eyed and feisty, fledgling ''Daily Maverick'' instantly landed as an irreverent new voice that did not waver in speaking truth to power: a signature that would come to define its brand of reporting."

“The idea f a maverickis kinda inspirational and aspirational,” Brkic says. “But also, it turns out it’s the best name for a revolution. It conveys a clear sense of purpose and a clear mission. Challenge the establishment. Challenge the commonly accepted truths – which many times are lies.”

In the first month, the publication had about 30 000 unique readers.

''Daily Maverick'' launched The Gathering in 2010. An annual political and social conference of South African leaders, thinkers, activists, politicians would meet to engage in political debates on stage. This is the only gatherings of its kind.  

In August 2011, ''iMaverick'', one of the first tablet newspapers in the world and the very first in South Africa, was launched. At the end of 2013, it closed down.

In 2012, ''Daily Maverick'' launched ''NewsFire'', a South African wire service, which did not gain traction and had to close down.

''Daily Maverick'' journalist Richard Poplak’s letter to foreign media after the death of Nelson Mandela went viral in 2013 – the US radio show, This American Life, read it on air.

Their readership grew to an all-time high of 15,000 readers a day with the Pistorius trial, the Nkandla debacle, the phoenix-like rise of the EFF, the general elections, and the dismantling of SARS.

In 2015, ''Daily Maverick'' raised R12 million as part of its fundraising efforts. Chronicle, a multi-media company featuring video productions, took flight in the same year. The ''Daily Maverick'' Chronicle production �
Casualties of Cola: Outsourcing, Exploitation and the New Reality of Work
�� won numerous awards, including the ''CNN'' ''Multichoice'' African Business Journalism Award and a Vodacom Journalism award. It was also first runner-up in the 2016 Taco Kuiper investigative journalism awards.

In December 2016, cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, known as Zapiro, joined ''Daily Maverick''.

In 2017, investigative journalist Pauli van Wyk joined ''Daily Maverick'', and Scorpio, the investigative unit of the publication, was launched. Janet Heard joined from Media24 as managing editor.

''Daily Maverick'' launched Maverick Insider, a membership community where readers could subscribe to the publication for a monthly fee. An internship programme for young journalists was also launched in 2018 and eight interns were employed full-time by the end of 2019. It was also the year that Ferial Haffajee, originally from ''City Press'' and ''Huffington Post'', joined as associate editor. Thank God It’s Food and Our Burning Planet were added as two new sections catering to food and environmental journalism.

Off the back of expansion in 2018, 2019 saw the launch of Maverick Citizen, Business Maverick and Maverick Life, as well as Maverick Sports’ podcast and Madam & Eve cartoon by cartoonists Stephen Francis and Rico Schacherl. 

Maverick Insider celebrated its first birthday on 15 August 2019 with just over 7,000 members contributing on a single or recurring basis.

Investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh joined the Scorpio team just days before the release of his book “ Gangster State: Unravelling Ace Magashule’s Web of Capture”. ''Daily Maverick''’s founding team member – veteran business journalist and editor, Tim Cohen rejoined ''Daily Maverick''.

2019 was also the year ''Daily Maverick'' introduced investigative journalism website ''Declassified UK,'' founded that year by journalist Matt Kennard and historian Mark Curtis, to its website.

The print newspaper, ''Daily Maverick 168'', available at selected Pick n Pay stores every Saturday was launched in 2020, along with the podcast 'Don't Shoot the Messenger' by Rebecca Davis.

Influence, a 2020 Canadian/South African documentary film written and directed by Diana Neille and Richard Poplak, aired on Showmax in November 2021.

As of July 2022, the Maverick Insider membership programme has more than 17,000 members.

Business model

Since inception in 2009, the publication has focused on original content. Content is free for Internet users to access, without a paywall, and is funded via advertising. Its online advertising model features display advertising focused on a single large premium banner ad per page which is separated from editorial content.

As at September 2012, the ''Daily Maverick'' team included 20 full-time journalists and editorial support staff and a network of op-ed contributors.

In 2018, the ''Daily Maverick'' launched Maverick Insider, a voluntary membership plan that doesn't have a paywall or standard donation request. Contributions from readers will keep the ''Daily Maverick'' free for those who can't afford to pay.

The ''Daily Maverick'' hosts articles by ''Declassified UK'', a group of independent journalists who investigate British foreign policy, the UK military and intelligence agencies and Britain's most powerful corporations.

Reception

In an early article about the new website, business writer Chantelle Benjamin says it "appears user-friendly, with interesting content" and an "attractive layout".

The ''Mail & Guardian'' newspaper describes ''Daily Maverick'' as an "independent newspaper", and ''Mail & Guardian'' executive editor Tanya Pampalone says "It's part ''Slate'', a bit ''Daily Beast'', with a helping of ''Huffington Post'', but it's all home-grown, serving up local news with fresh angles and international news with insight into why it matters to South Africa".

In 2011 Anton Harber, Caxton Professor of Journalism at Wits University and founding editor of the ''Mail & Guardian'', describes Brkic as "a groundbreaker in South African publishing" and ''Daily Maverick'' as "a lively and valuable site, full of opinions and analysis that live up to the site's name and which regularly shows up the dull and predictable publishing that dominates our mainstream". In 2013 he says ''Daily Maverick'' "pushes the journalistic boundaries, sometimes with great success and occasionally crossing a line" and describes ''Daily Maverick'' as a "shelter for the homeless of journalism, who demand more freedom than they get in the more staid newsrooms".

Media commentator Gill Moodie says "The thoughtful, left-field news and analysis website quickly picked up an audience and became a fixture in our media landscape".

''Daily Maverick'' set the editorial agenda on major news stories in 2012 including the Marikana miners' strike. Herman Manson, editor of media website MarkLives, says "in terms of insight into what's happening at grassroots and political intelligence, they have emerged as a clear front-runner". Sipho Hlongwane, who was named Best Youngster at the 2012 Bookmarks Awards, described it as "unspeakably white and upper-middle-class" before becoming a ''Daily Maverick'' contributor himself. However, former deputy editor Phillip de Wet has described their ideal demographic as "young, black and urban".

In July 2013, the globally syndicated radio show ''This American Life'' opened Episode 501: "The View From In Here" with a reading of Richard Poplak's satirical "Open letter to South Africa from foreign media" published in ''Daily Maverick'' the previous month.

In November 2013, Bill Keller described ''Daily Maverick'' as "feisty" in an op-ed in ''The New York Times'' about foreign news coverage.

Organisation

The online site is made up of different sections that each cover unique aspects.

Daily Maverick

''Daily Maverick'' is the overarching home for all the publication’s articles. It also hosts the political section of the publication, covering reporting, news analysis and investigations of all three levels of government, and of the judiciary and the legislature. It is described as existing “to provide you with the news, analysis, insight and opinion that you need. Whether you’re required to make big decisions or just want to hold your own over lunchtime conversation, we’ll provide the tools”. Ferial Haffajee is the associate editor, while Marianne Merten is the parliamentary correspondent for the publication.

Business Maverick

Business Maverick covers business and financial news and analysis. It is described as aiming “to become a business voice in the same vein as ''Daily Maverick'' has become a trusted, eclectic, vibrant political voice”. It was launched in 2019. The editor is Tim Cohen.

Maverick Life

Maverick Life is the life and culture section of ''Daily Maverick''. It was launched in 2019. The editor is Emilie Gambade, former editor of ELLE South Africa and Malibongwe Tyilo is associate editor. Gambade describes the section’s mission as “to give readers a breather from the relentlessness of daily news”.

Maverick Citizen

Maverick Citizen covers stories relating to human rights, good governance and social justice. It was launched in 2019. The editor is Mark Heywood, and associate editor is Anso Thom. Heywood describes the section as intending “to bring the stories of what the many civil society organisations are doing, the progress they’re making and the challenges they face into the mainstream media”.   

Our Burning Planet

Our Burning Planet is the environmental investigative unit of the publication. It covers stories relating to climate crisis, environmental conservation and animal welfare. It is described as the “first investigative journalism unit in South Africa dedicated to climate-change politics… hichwill concentrate on the head-on collision between bad governance and climate change, and show how the country is being reshaped by this phenomenon”. It was launched in 2018. The editor is Jillian Green.

Opinionista

This section hosts daily opinion pieces, written by notable individuals such as Mmusi Maimane, Mbali Ntuli, Helen Zille, Olusegun Obassanjo, Naledi Pandor, Herman Mashaba, John Steenhuisen and Ronnie Kasiril.

Zapiro

The award-winning South African cartoonist Zapiro joined ''Daily Maverick'' in 2016. His cartoons satirise the South African political landscape. Brkic described Zapiro’s joining of the publication as follows, “He is a living legend, and we’re honoured to have him draw cartoons for ''Daily Maverick''.”

Thank God It’s Food

Thank God It’s Food covers all things food; recipes plus stories and interviews with the people and places that make up the industry. It was started in 2018. Tony Jackman is the editor of this section. He describes it as follows: “It’s the weekend, time to push the politics and angst aside and get into the kitchen.”

Maverick Sports

Maverick Sports covers stories relating to sport. The editor is Craig Ray. Maverick Sport reporting played a role in leading a change in government structure in CSA
State Capture put pressure on cricket to change their memorandum of understanding

Scorpio

Scorpio is ''Daily Maverick''’s investigative unit, focusing on investigating and exposing corruption and abuse of power. It was launched in 2017 and is described as “… a new chapter in a ''Daily Maverick'' book already teeming with exciting stories, challenges and adventures. We don’t take entering into this space lightly, given the country’s medium-term future, people’s freedom and lives could be affected by our work. But it’s not only something we want to do – it’s something we must do”. Pauli van Wyk, Jessica Bezuidenhout and Pieter-Louis Myburgh all write for this section.

Daily Maverick 168

''Daily Maverick 168'' is the weekly print newspaper that was launched in 2020. It is available exclusively at selected Pick n Pay, Spar, Exclusive Books, Woolworths and Airport Bookstore stores. The name refers to the number of hours in a week. The newspaper is described as “published by South Africa’s most experienced newsroom and filled with investigations, in-depth analyses, biting opinions and the best cartoonists in the country”. The goal of the newspaper is, “In a time when misinformation and lies get halfway around the world before the truth has had breakfast, it was important for us that we view this as an opportunity to make our journalism accessible to even more people.” The newspaper consists of a Daily Maverick, Business Maverick, Maverick Life, Maverick Kids and Maverick Sports section. Heather Robertson is the editor.

Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Don’t Shoot the Messenger is ''Daily Maverick''’s podcast. It was launched in 2020.  It is described as taking you “into the stories behind the stories, to give you a fresh view and new insight on some of the most important topics of the moment”.  The podcast is hosted by Rebecca Davis.

Declassified UK

''Declassified UK'' is a website focusing on stories relating to British foreign policy, UK military, intelligence agencies and corporations. Its partnership with ''Daily Maveric''k is described as follows, “Declassified’s staff have written articles for most of Britain’s national media, but the space for independent analysis and critical investigations is ever declining … When the ''Daily Maverick'' offered to host our stories, we saw it as an ideal opportunity to team up with one of the best investigative and independent news sites in the Global South.”

The Gathering

The publication hosts an annual event that serves as a platform for influential South Africans to discuss and debate the South African landscape.

Maverick Insider

Maverick Insider is the voluntary subscription service of the publication. It is described as “ tis about more than just supporting quality, independent journalism financially and keeping it accessible for all readers. It’s also about building a community with our loyal readers who want to share unique experiences and help us write this new chapter of ''Daily Maverick''.” Members receive benefits, such as a bi-weekly Maverick Insider newsletter, ad-free browsing, the ability to comment on articles, invitations and discounted tickets to events and members-onl
webinars
with journalists and editors, and discounted tickets to The Gathering. The Maverick Insider General Manager is Fran Beighton. There are more than 17, 000 Maverick Insiders.  

For ''Daily Maverick'', journalism was about bringing attention to the cause: South Africa’s democracy. By becoming a member, you were helping ''Daily Maverick'' protect that cause.

Brkic says, “That’s where the success of ''Daily Maverick'' lay. We were in a space where there was no chance of making any money. What actually saved us was that we created a product that people were willing to help with. They were willing to donate money or time. They were willing to become part of the movement. Because if we had a commercial approach to it, like everybody else, we would never have raised our heads above the parapets. People would never say, ‘This country is not going to be the same if ''Daily Maverick'' goes down.’ What saved us was the fact that we could not make any money, because this industry was so messed up.”

Newsletters

The publication sends out numerous newsletters. It has daily newsletters, known as First Thing and Afternoon Thing, that summarise the day’s events. Business Maverick also has a daily newsletter. Maverick Life, Maverick Citizen, Thank God It’s Food, Maverick Sports and SME have weekly newsletters. There is a monthly Young Maverick newsletter focusing on work by the younger journalists on the Daily Maverick team, an ad-hoc newsletter known as Info Things for announcements, and a weekly cartoon newsletter.

First Thing was inspired by Brkic's perpetual guilt for sleeping while the clock of current affairs ticked over. The “First Thing” email bulletin was designed to “plug the reader back into what happened the night before”.

“That’s how the tag line ‘While you were sleeping’ was born.”

First Thing has evolved into a suite of successful and eagerly awaited newsletters wrapped up in dry wit, delivered to inboxes by 6am each weekday morning – with more than 240,000 subscribers by June 2022.

Live Journalism Webinars

''Daily Maverick'' webinars not only connect DM readers and attendees to industry experts but they also connect the viewers to each other, creating an engaged community. ''Daily Maverick'' adheres to the same high editorial standards of DM and keep editorial integrity first and foremost. These webinars are also a way for knowledge and information to be shared and consumed in a different medium.

Notable Stories

Daily Maverick has published numerous original stories and investigations that have been influential in democratic South Africa.

* Marikana Murder Fields – By Greg Marinovich
* SARS Rogue Unit – By Marianne Thamm
* #GuptaLeaks – By ''AmaBhungane'', ''Daily Maverick'' and ''News24''
* Brian Molefe’s Golden Handshake – By Pauli van Wyk
* The Cape Water Crisis – By Marelise van der Merwe and Diana Neille
* Goodbye Gigaba – By Marianne Merten
* The Great Art Heist – By Pieter-Louis Myburgh
* Free State Asbestos Saga: Ace Magashule – By Pieter-Louis Myburgh
* SARS Corruption – By Pauli van Wyk
* More Corruption: VBS and Julius Malema – By Pauli van Wyk
* Trash Journalism – By Marianne Thamm
* ‘The Disney Playground’ Deal – By Kevin Bloom
* Digital Vibes – By Pieter-Louis Myburgh
* Mckinsey & Transnet – By ''Amabughane''’s Susan Comrie and Pauli Van Wyk

Awards

*2010 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Publisher Awards – Best Editorial Team – ''Daily Maverick''
*2011 Bookmarks – Product Awards – Email Marketing – Email Publication – Silver – ''First Thing'' Newsletter – ''Daily Maverick''
*2011 Bookmarks – Craft Awards – Editorial (Media – News, Magazines, Radio and TV Stations/Networks) – Silver – ''Daily Maverick''
*2011 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Awards – Best Digital Editorial Individual – Stephen Grootes – ''Daily Maverick''
*2012 Bookmarks – Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Publisher Sites (Mass Appeal) > R5m Turnover – Bronze – ''Daily Maverick'' and ''iMaverick''
*2012 Bookmarks – Core Awards – Email Marketing – Email Publication – Silver – ''First Thing'' Newsletter – ''Daily Maverick''
*2012 Bookmarks – Core Awards – Applications and Tools – Tablet Publication – Bronze – ''iMaverick''
*2012 Bookmarks – Core Awards – Integrated / Mixed Media – Multi-platform Publisher – Bronze – ''First Thing'' Newsletter, ''Daily Maverick'' and ''iMaverick'' – ''Daily Maverick''
*2012 Bookmarks – Craft Awards – Editorial (Media – News, Magazines, Radio and TV Stations/Networks) – Silver – ''First Thing'' Newsletter, ''Daily Maverick'' and ''iMaverick'' – ''Daily Maverick''
*2012 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Awards – The Digital Maverick – Branko Brkic
*2012 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Awards – Best Digital Editorial Individual – Branko Brkic – ''Daily Maverick'' and ''iMaverick''
*2012 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Awards – Best Youngster – Sipho Hlongwane – ''Daily Maverick''
*2012 Bookmarks – Special Honours Awards – Best Publishing House – ''Daily Maverick'' and ''iMaverick''
*2012 SAB Sports Media Awards – New Media – Social Media Correspondent of the Year – Styli Charalambous – ''Daily Maverick''
*2012 Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism – Runner-up – Greg Marinovich – ''Daily Maverick''
*2013 Vodacom National Journalist of the Year Online winner – Greg Marinovich – ''Daily Maverick''
*2013 Bookmarks – Craft Awards – Editorial (Media – News, Magazines, Radio and TV Stations/Networks) – Silver – ''Daily Maverick''
*2013 Bookmarks – Individual and Team Awards – Best Digital Editorial Individual – Rebecca Davis – ''Daily Maverick''
*2016 SAB Sports Media Awards – Digital Media – Converged Media – Antoinette Muller
*2016 SAB Sports Media Awards – Digital Media – Written Media – Antoinette Muller
*2016 SAB Sports Media Awards – Digital Media – Online Video – Leila Dougan
*2017 Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism – #GuptaLeaks – 19 journalists from AmaBhungane, the Daily Maverick and News24
*2018 Nat Nakasa Award for Media Integrity – South African National Editors’ Forum – Branko Brkic
*2018 – Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Award – #GuptaLeaks – Scorpio, ''amaBhungane'' and ''News24''
*2019 – SAFTA – Golden Horn award for Best Documentary Short – Nanlaban: The Philippines War on Drugs – ''Chronicle''
*2019 – Vodacom Journalist of the Year – Multi-platform – Sune Payne and Leila Dougan – ''Daily Maverick''
*2019 – Vodacom Journalist of the Year – Financial/Economics – Marianne Merten
*2019 – Global Shining Light Award – #GuptaLeaks – ''Daily Maverick''
*2020 – Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Award – Investigative Journalism: Journalist of the Year – Pauli van Wyk – ''Daily Maverick''
*2020 – Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Award – Investigative Journalism: Columns and Editorial – Richard Poplak – ''Daily Maverick''
*2021 – Nat Nakasa Award for Media Integrity – Styli Charalambous
*2021 – Thomas Pringle Award – Best Portfolio – Tevya Shapiro – ''Daily Maverick''
*2021 – International Sports Press Association (AIPS) – Certificate of Achievement Award – Craig Ray – ''Daily Maverick''
*2021 – Vodacom Journalist of the Year (VJOY) Awards – Digital Vibes – Pieter Louis-Myburgh – ''Daily Maverick''
*2021 – Taco Kuiper Award – Digital Vibes – Pieter Louis-Myburgh – ''Daily Maverick''
*2021 – SA Book of the Year Awards – Best Non-fiction – Six Years With Al Qaeda – Stephen McGown – ''Daily Maverick''
*2021 – Digital Media Africa Awards – Best Paid Content Strategy – Maverick Insider – ''Daily Maverick''

See also

* List of newspapers in South Africa

References

Further reading

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External links

*{{Official website

2009 establishments in South Africa
Daily newspapers published in South Africa
Online newspapers published in South Africa
South African news websites
Publications established in 2009
Mass media in Johannesburg