Phillip de Wet
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Phillip de Wet is a British-South African journalist, editor, and columnist.
He is the former foreign editor of News24, where he publishes a weekly column on world events.{{Cite web |title=Phillip de Wet |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/opinions/columnists/phillipdewet |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}
He is the author of Nkandla: The Great Unravelling.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZxbAwAAQBAJ|title=Nkandla: The Great Unravelling|last=Wet|first=Phillip de|date=2014-03-28|publisher=Mail & Guardian|isbn=9780620601856|language=en}}
De Wet was the founding deputy editor of daily online newspaper Daily Maverick, which credited him with much of its initial personality.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2014-12-02-op-ed-what-made-brain-porn-alive|title=Op-Ed: What made Brain Porn alive? {{!}} Daily Maverick|website=www.dailymaverick.co.za|date=December 2014 |language=en|access-date=2017-10-26}} He was also a founder of that website's defunct predecessor magazine,{{Cite news|url=https://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/10261-New-local-news-website-launches.html|title=New local news website launches|access-date=2017-10-26|language=en-US}} Maverick.{{Cite news|url=https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/opinion/branko-brkic-guards-the-gate-of-the-higher-mind-715704|title=Branko Brkic guards the gate of the higher mind {{!}} IOL Business Report|access-date=2017-10-26|language=en}}
In October 2015 he was appointing as acting deputy editor of newspaper Mail & Guardian.{{Cite news|url=https://businesstech.co.za/news/media/100230/mail-guardian-appoints-new-editor-in-chief/|title=Mail & Guardian appoints new editor-in-chief|access-date=2017-10-26|language=en-US}} Five years earlier that newspaper had described him as a "journalism school dropout".{{Cite news|url=https://mg.co.za/article/2010-09-10-the-site-your-mom-warned-you-about|title=The site your mom warned you about|last=Pampalone|first=Tanya|work=The M&G Online|access-date=2017-10-26|language=en}}
In February 2018 De Wet was appointed as associated editor of Business Insider South Africa.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fin24.com/Tech/News/first-editor-of-business-insider-sa-appointed-20180112|title=First editor of Business Insider SA appointed|date=2018-01-12|website=Fin24|access-date=2019-01-07}}
He remained at Media24, the publisher of Business Insider South Africa, first as a writer at large for News24 (website){{Cite news |title=A new page for Phillip de Wet at News24 after Business Insider SA closure |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/opinions/reader_hub/a-new-page-for-phillip-de-wet-at-news24-after-business-insider-sa-closure-20230306 |access-date=2023-03-07 |language=en-US}} and then its foreign editor, until January 2025.
Controversial articles and columns
In February 2017, police sought to question De Wet about the leak of a draft government report he had written about.{{Cite news |title=Police mum on 'concerning' visit to M&G over Public Protector 'leak' |url=http://city-press.news24.com/News/police-mum-on-concerning-visit-to-mg-over-public-protector-leak-20170223 |access-date=2017-10-26 |work=CityPress |language=en}}
In October 2017, De Wet won a major national award for the column “Rainbowism comes to wine gums — and the black ones get a ghetto”{{Cite web |author=Staff Reporter |date=2016-08-17 |title=Rainbowism comes to wine gums – and the black ones get a ghetto |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2016-08-17-00-every-colour-used-to-know-their-place-until-the-notion-of-rainbowism-took-over/ |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}, which was judged as "creatively refreshing by tracking the history of wine gums as a means to address central issues of South Africa’s past and future."{{Cite web |author=Staff Reporter |date=2017-10-20 |title=Mail & Guardian walk away happy winners at premier SA journalism awards |url=https://mg.co.za/article/2017-10-20-mail-guardian-walk-away-happy-from-premier-awards-ceremony/ |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=The Mail & Guardian |language=en-ZA}}
In February 2020, Burger King in South Africa published a print advert in the form of a coupon offering a free hamburger to anyone who shared De Wet's name, in response to an article he wrote questioning the brand's future in that country.{{Cite web |author=Staff Reporter |title=Burger King is giving away free Whoppers |url=https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/food-and-restaurants/burger-king-is-giving-away-free-whoppers-43436811 |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=www.iol.co.za |language=en}} The move drew national attention and advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi South Africa cited it as a case study.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm9upRI6iYc |title=Burger King "Hey Phil" |date=2020-07-07 |last=Saatchi & Saatchi South Africa |access-date=2025-02-03 |via=YouTube}} De Wet asked readers to send him the coupons in their newspapers by physical mail, then cashed them in for 1,020 free hamburgers for a non-profit organisation which cares for vulnerable girl children in Johannesburg.{{Cite web |date=2020-03-14 |title=FEEL GOOD {{!}} We delivered the first batch of 1 020 free burgers thanks to a silly ad by Burger King |url=https://www.businessinsider.co.za/free-whoppers-for-house-group-thanks-to-burger-kings-hey-phil-ad-2020-3 |access-date=2025-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314083421/https://www.businessinsider.co.za/free-whoppers-for-house-group-thanks-to-burger-kings-hey-phil-ad-2020-3 |archive-date=14 March 2020 }}
In January 2025, De Wet called on South Africa to make political preparations to exercise its "digital sovereignty" by banning Facebook if necessary.{{Cite web |last=Wet |first=Phillip de |title=Phillip de Wet {{!}} Facebook's changes call for a Great (Political) Internet Wall for South Africa |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/opinions/columnists/phillipdewet/phillip-de-wet-facebooks-changes-call-for-a-great-political-internet-wall-for-south-africa-20250110 |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} His friend, former colleague, and fellow columnist Ivo Vegter diagnosed him with "an acute case of authoritarianism" in response.{{Cite web |last=Vegter |first=Ivo |date=2025-01-15 |title=Phillip de Wet contracts an acute case of authoritarianism |url=https://dailyfriend.co.za/2025/01/15/phillip-de-wet-contracts-an-acute-case-of-authoritarianism/ |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=Daily Friend |language=en-US}}
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)