Journalist. Writer. Researcher. Editor.

About Michelle

While I started my career as a print journalist, in recent years I have specialised in digital media (including social media) management and content creation for a variety of online news platforms. As such, I have honed various skills invaluable to the effective management, growth and development of online news. Such skills include, but are not limited to: search engine optimisation (SEO); online community building and engagement; social media and brand management; content creation and management, including live-blogging and multimedia content; and traffic generation and analytics. Furthermore, I have a great deal of experience with a variety of content management systems (CMS), specialising in WordPress.

At work in Joza township, Grahamstown, in 2009.

I have worked as a journalist for various publications over the past decade, most notably the award-winning Daily Dispatch and Mail & Guardian. While I started my career as a reporter for the former, by 2014 I began my transition from a newspaper reporter to an online journalist and content manager for the Dispatch Online. By 2016, I was appointed the online night editor (online editor on the night shift) at the Mail & Guardian. There, I worked as content manager and subeditor of the company’s online content for the newspaper’s main website and a variety of its subsidiary sites, including Thoughtleader, M&G Africa, and others. Additionally, I worked to develop both newspapers’ social media platforms, including their associated online communities and audiences.

While at East London’s Daily Dispatch, I covered and assisted with the coordination of coverage of various major news stories – most notably the online and social media coverage of the 2014 general elections. As an online reporter, social media and content manager for the Dispatch Online, I was also tasked with editing audio and video footage recorded by reporters throughout the day. Much of my work consisted of copy tasting, selecting pictures, subbing and publishing content to the Dispatch’s online platforms, including social media like Facebook and Twitter. I continued with such work at the Mail & Guardian, and covered several breaking news stories and produced a variety of content. This served not only to edify our readers about the events at hand, but also allowed these publications to engage with a variety of audiences across social media.

Beyond my career pursuits, I have also maintained my academic interests in journalism by pursuing my Master’s degree from the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University. My research interests include social media and how the various platforms are utilised by both journalists and activists in South Africa, and the dynamics that result.

I have freelanced for a variety of organisations, including:

Should you be interested in my work, please do not hesitate to contact me using my contact details below.

Kind regards,

Michelle Solomon
Freelance journalist, writer, editor, researcher
Johannesburg, South Africa
Email: michelle@journoactivist.com
LinkedIn: Michelle Solomon
Twitter: @mishsolomon
mishsolomon.com