Mail & Guardian

The publication began as the Weekly Mail, an alternative newspaper by a group of journalists in 1985 after the closure of two leading liberal newspapers, The Rand Daily Mail and Sunday Express.

The Weekly Mail criticised the government and its apartheid policies, which led to the banning of the paper in 1988 by then State President P. W. Botha. The paper was renamed the Weekly Mail & Guardian from 30 July 1993. The paper almost folded in the early 1990s after a failed attempt to reinvent itself as a daily newspaper.{{Cite web |last=Niekerk |first=Phillip van |date=2016-05-02 |title=David Beresford: Unfashionable liberal and master storyteller |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-05-03-david-beresford-unfashionable-liberal-and-master-storyteller/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Daily Maverick |language=en}} The London-based Guardian Media Group (GMG), the publisher of The Guardian, became the majority shareholder of the print edition in 1995, and the name was changed to Mail & Guardian.

In 2002, 87.5% of the company was sold to the Newtrust Company Botswana Limited, which was owned by Trevor Ncube, a Zimbabwean publisher and entrepreneur.{{cite news|url=http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?area=rticleid=6087 |title=Trevor Ncube buys Mail&Guardian |date=1 January 2002 |last=Buckland |first=Matthew |newspaper=Mail & Guardian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050910173406/http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?area=mg_flat&articleid=6087 |archive-date=10 September 2005 |url-status=live}} Ncube took over as the CEO of the company.{{Cite news|author=Mckune, Craig |url=http://mg.co.za/article/2013-08-23-00-iqbal-surve-threatens-to-expose-mg |title=Iqbal Survé threatens to 'expose' M&G |date=23 August 2013 |newspaper=Mail & Guardian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823055821/http://mg.co.za/article/2013-08-23-00-iqbal-surve-threatens-to-expose-mg/ |archive-date=23 August 2013 |url-status=live}}{{Cite news|title=Trevor Ncube sets record straight |date=22 July 2014 |newspaper=Newsday |location=Zimbabwe |url=https://www.newsday.co.zw/2014/07/22/trevor-ncube-sets-record-straight/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908095654/https://www.newsday.co.zw/2014/07/22/trevor-ncube-sets-record-straight/ |archive-date=8 September 2015 |url-status=live}}{{Cite news|author=Prinsloo, Loni and Speckman. Asha |title=Mail & Guardian crippled by cash crunch |date=6 September 2015 |newspaper=The Sunday Times |location=South Africa |url=http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/businesstimes/2015/09/06/Mail--Guardian-crippled-by-cash-crunch |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite news|title=Trevor Ncube hits back at 'living it up as staff suffer' report |date=14 October 2015 |newspaper=Nehanda Radio |url=http://nehandaradio.com/2015/10/14/trevor-ncube-hits-back-at-living-it-up-as-staff-suffer-report/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015154445/http://nehandaradio.com/2015/10/14/trevor-ncube-hits-back-at-living-it-up-as-staff-suffer-report/ |archive-date=15 October 2015 |url-status=live}}

In 2006 MD Africa became the Mail & Guardian{{'s}} national distributor. The change resulted in good circulation growth, despite difficult market conditions. In 2013 the newspaper achieved a record period with 51,551 copies circulated. MDA distributed a number of publications including Noseweek and Destiny magazine.

In 2017, Media Development Investment Fund, a New York–based not-for-profit investment fund, announced that it had acquired a majority stake in the Mail & Guardian. The restructured ownership saw the CEO, Hoosain Karjieker, acquire a minority stake in the business as part of a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) transaction. Staff continue to own a 10% share of the company. The former majority shareholder, Trevor Ncube, disposed of his equity interest.{{cite news|url=https://mg.co.za/article/2017-12-12-00-mdif-acquires-majority-stake-in-south-africas-mail-guardian |title=MDIF acquires majority stake in South Africa's Mail & Guardian |date=12 December 2017 |newspaper=Mail & Guardian }}

The newspaper's headquarters are in Johannesburg. The editor-in-chief is Ron Derby{{cite web| url = https://mg.co.za/news/2021-03-24-ron-derby-appointed-mg-editor-in-chief/| title = Ron Derby appointed M&G editor-in-chief |newspaper= The Mail & Guardian|first=Hoosain|last=Karjieker| date = 24 March 2021}} and the CEO is Hoosain Karjieker.

The Mail & Guardian is considered a newspaper of record for South Africa.{{cite book|last=Christopher|first=H. Sterling|author-link=Christopher H. Sterling | title=Encyclopedia of Journalism | page=39 | chapter=A–C| volume=1 | date=2009 | isbn=978-0761929574 | publisher=SAGE Publishing}}{{cite journal | last=Jones | first=Adam | title=From Rightist to 'Brightest'? The Strange Tale of South Africa's Citizen. | journal= Journal of Southern African Studies | volume=24 | issue=2 | date=1998 | pages=325–45 | doi=10.1080/03057079808708579 | jstor=2637530 | accessdate=8 May 2022 | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2637530| url-access=subscription }}

In 1994, the Mail & Guardian Online was launched in conjunction with Media24 (a subsidiary of the Naspers group), becoming the first internet news publication in Africa. It has grown into its own daily news operation with a number of writers, multimedia producers, sub-editors and more. It is run out of the Mail & Guardian offices in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The site focuses on local, international and African hard news, sport and business.

The website began its life as the Electronic Mail & Guardian, which was initially an e-mail subscription service that allowed readers living outside South Africa to receive Mail & Guardian newspaper stories before they reached newspaper subscribers. Soon after, the service expanded into a searchable online archive, published in partnership with Sangonet, the country's oldest internet service provider. A website was added, which in turn progressed from producing a weekly mirror of the printed newspaper to generating its own daily news.

The Mail & Guardian Online was jointly owned by internet service provider MWEB and publishing company M&G Media until M&G Media purchased 100% of the operation in 2008.

It has interactive news photo galleries, discussion forums and special reports on subjects such as Zimbabwe, HIV and South African President Jacob Zuma. It is known for hard-hitting political reporting, investigations as well as strong beat reporting, particularly in education, labour, environment and health.

• 2012: CNN African Journalism award (2012)[http://themediaonline.co.za/2012/07/south-africans-shine-at-cnn-multichoice-african-journalist-awards/ "South Africans shine at CNN Multichoice African Journalist Awards"], TheMediaOnline, 23 July 2012.
• 2012: Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Award[http://www.mediaupdate.co.za/?IDStory=48413 "Finalists of Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Award announced"], Media Update, 24 July 2012.
• 2011: Vodacom Journalist of the Year[http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/410/15/65527.html "More Vodacom Journalist of the Year regional winners"], bizcommunity.com, 12 October 2011.
• 2011: Bookmark awardsBremmen, Nur (11 November 2011), [http://memeburn.com/2011/11/the-bookmarks-awards-strike-gold-but-few-golds-awarded/ "The Bookmarks Awards strike gold, although few golds awarded"], Memeburn.
• 2010: Bookmark awards[http://www.mediaupdate.co.za/?IDStory=32556 "M&G wins two Bookmarks"], Media Update, 30 November 2010.
• 2008: Webby Awards Honoree for News in Photos and Political Blog{{cite web|url=https://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2008/web/general-website/blog-political/thought-leader/|title=Thought Leader|publisher=The Webby Awards}}{{cite web|url=https://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2008/web/website-features-and-design/best-use-of-photography/news-in-photos/|title=News in Photos|publisher=The Webby Awards}}
• 2005: Webby Awards Honoree for Web Best Practices{{cite web|url=https://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2005/web/website-features-and-design/best-practices/the-mail-guardian-onlines-interactive-guide-to-the-south-african-elections/|title=The Mail & Guardian Online's Interactive Guide to the South African Elections|publisher=The Webby Awards}}
• 2001: Forbes.com voted the Mail & Guardian Online one of the world's top 175 websites{{cite web|url=http://www.mg.co.za/page/about-us|title=About Us|publisher=Mail & Guardian}}
• 1996: Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Journalism{{cite web|url=https://journalism.missouri.edu/jschool/honor-medal-winners/|title=Missouri Honor Medal winners by year|publisher=University of Missouri School of Journalism}}
• 1995: International Press Directory – Best International Newspaper{{cite web|url=https://mg.co.za/article/1995-12-22-the-prize-paper|title=The prize paper|publisher=Mail & Guardian|date=22 December 1995|access-date=19 February 2019}}

• David Beresford (1993)
• Matthew Buckland
• Eusebius McKaiser
• Verashni Pillay (2009-2017)
• Barry Streek (political journalist 2001){{Cite web |date=2006-07-21 |title=Journalist Barry Streek passes away |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2006-07-21-journalist-barry-streek-passes-away/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}

• List of newspapers in South Africa
• Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.mg.co.za Mail & Guardian Online]
• [http://www.saarf.co.za SAARF Website]
• [http://voicesofafrica.co.za/ Voices of Africa]

{{Greater Johannesburg|media}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mail and Guardian}}

Category:1985 establishments in South Africa

Category:Newspapers established in 1985

Category:South African news websites

Category:Weekly newspapers published in South Africa

Category:Organisations associated with apartheid

Category:Mass media in Johannesburg

Category:Online newspapers published in South Africa