I approached this work from my many selves, but one gaze was fixed. I believe that journalism in the public interest is critical to the deepening of democracy, and that finding and revealing the truth is becoming tougher and more dangerous in the world of social media. Indeed, social media, where misinformation is proliferating unchecked, is killing journalism.

One of my selves is that of an academic. From this position, I experimented with and deployed diverse theoretical frameworks to make sense of power and loss in the media in the twenty-first century. These theories were radical democracy blended with psychoanalytical concepts, decolonisation theory, black consciousness and feminist theory. I have deliberately simplified political and philosophical concepts for accessible reading.

Another self is that of a journalist. This relates to my history as a journalist and my writing on media matters these days, as well as my methods and techniques in gathering information – through research, interviewing, observation and ‘connecting the dots’.

A further self is that of an activist, advocating for better media ethics, diversity, freedom, access to information, feminist emancipation and transparency. For two chapters I also used surveys, one on job losses and the other on the antifeminist backlash in the media.

The idea for this book first percolated in 2007 and, like coffee, it became stronger as it was left to brew. I also write about my personal tug-of-war with social media – the idea was not to examine social media and technology and their effects but, rather, to look at different aspects of journalism and to examine how it was changing in terms of power and loss – for instance, the power journalism evinced in the investigation of corruption and the loss it suffers through the harrassment of journalists (this is dealt with more deeply in chapter 1 and, indeed, throughout the book). All the chapters show how social media and technology have profoundly affected the news media landscape in South Africa, which mirrors the international situation but has its own nuances.

In 2007, when I worked in a print media newsroom in Rosebank, Johannesburg, and social media began to gain traction, I had reservations about the possible downsides. I knew I could not write then about my misgivings, which were based on instinct and feelings, not on fact.