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Debora Patta Leaves eNews

Written by TVSA Team from the blog News on 30 Sep 2009
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e.tv has announced Debora Patta’s resignation as eNews Editor-in-Chief, following her decision to focus solely on 3rd Degree.

Patta took over as eNews chief in 2005, but stayed on as host and executive producer of her brainchild, 3rd Degree.

Says Patta: "This has been a very difficult decision, but I believe it is right for me to follow my passion for journalism. Given the pressures of producing an investigative programme and the demanding job as Editor-in-Chief, it would have become unsustainable to do both in the long run.

"In the end it came down to my passion for journalism and certainty that there are still many untold stories in South Africa."

Debra Patta

The announcement of Patta’s resignation was made to eNews staffers on Wednesday by e.tv’s Chief Executive Officer, Marcel Golding.

"Debora’s resignation comes with great regret. She has played a pivotal role in the growth of eNews, helped grow the business from a half hour daily newscast to a 24-hour news business and as many as 400 journalists were trained under her leadership,” says Golding.

Patta will take on the role of chief anchor, and will continue producing and hosting 3rd Degree as well as train, mentor and develop budding television journalists and news anchors.

Following the announcement of Patta’s departure, Golding announced that Patrick Conroy, eNews’ current Group News Editor will be taking over from Patta as General Manager of eNews.

Golding says of Conroy’s appointment: "Patrick has played a strategic role in growing the eNews service into what it is today. He has been a journalist for more than 15 years and has shown great leadership skills and insight into the way South Africans consume television news."

Since Conroy joined eNews, he helped achieve many milestones, including developing an audience-focused approach to news that attracted 500,000 new viewers and made eNews Prime Time the most watched English-medium bulletin in South Africa.

Patrick Conroy

More recently, Conroy played a key leadership role in the multi-disciplinary team that launched the eNews Channel in 2008.

Due to the growth of eNews operations over the past two years it has also become necessary to expand the various levels of management overseeing the news business.

"In less than two years we have gone from a 30-minute daily bulletin to a 24-hour news broadcaster with international ambitions", says Golding. "This will be the first of more appointments in the near future".

As part of its ambition to grow eNews into a pan-African service, the company employed Chris Maroleng as its Africa Editor. Maroleng now heads up eNews Africa, a news service that will launch later this year focusing on delivering news to the Continent.

Zain Semaar has been confirmed as the National Assignments Editor for eNews, taking over from Layton Beard who now heads up the Pretoria bureau.

Says Golding, "Debora’s decision to step down opens the door for the next wave to start taking control of the business.

"We wish Debora and the managers that will follow in her footsteps every success in the future".



13 Comments

HARAMBE24
01 Oct 2009 06:43

Why is no one reporting the truth, the woman was pushed...she did not resign..lol

Tash 1
01 Oct 2009 08:23

Pushed lyk a wheel-barrow!! By wu? lol

dali
01 Oct 2009 08:28

i jst wonder how asikulume wud be like if it was hosted by debi

Msoe
02 Oct 2009 10:53

I also suspect something here. Debra as good as she is as a journalist, she was a hard woman as a boss. So maybe e.tv should just come out and tell us the real reasons for Patta's dismissal coz I dont buy the resignation crap.

xolanipat
02 Oct 2009 11:03

I also agree with the rest of u guys, how could she voluntarily leave an excutive position like that?

Biotech123
03 Oct 2009 13:47

Very sad news, Debs is really gud and very passionate. I also think we are not being told the full story---so much for "no fear no favour". I don't quiet like Golding's comment about Debs stepping down that it"opens new wave to...blah blah" sounds like she is joy-smitten by Debs' resignation. Anyway, she must still uphold the excellent job she does on 3rd degree!!!!

felfel
05 Oct 2009 09:05

Actually she was pushed, she's been skating on thin ice with politicians for a while now.

Mathaz
05 Oct 2009 09:31

Actually she was pushed, she's been skating on thin ice with politicians for a while now.  e-tv is not another SABC and does not push the propaganda business of the  ANC.  As long as she would still be presenting 3rd degree then i'm happy. 

felfel
05 Oct 2009 09:39

Believe wat u want Mathaz, i know wat i know.

Mathaz
05 Oct 2009 09:50

@felfel you misunderstood me what i meant to say was that she should not be in trouble with politicians namely ANC comrades  because e-tv and any news broadcaster for that matter should not be taking sides of any political party which we all know that the SABC is pushing the agenda of the ANC. 

Msoe
05 Oct 2009 09:55

I dont like the way Patta presents 3rd Degree. She is so biased about issues and I think that is not how journalism should be. I think that Patta should just ask questions and leave it to the viewers to conclude who's right and who's wrong. She intimidates people just because she thinks they are guilty. No one really cares what her opinion on the subject, all people want to know are the facts and to make their own conclusions about it.

Mathaz
05 Oct 2009 10:07

She is quite pushy but i like the way she interrogates people to get to the bottom of things.  We need someone like her especially in this trying political times, we need her to ask relevant questions without being scared of the repercussion.  Remember how she probed Cheune about the IAAF e-mail that he "supposedly" did not see until she said i have it in my hand that's when he backed down and admitted that he knew something about the tests.  Special Assignment was the best when Max du Preez was one of its journalist and 3rd degree is the next best thing.

Green.arrow
05 Oct 2009 10:10

im a "world peace" typa aperson,so untill u guys mentioned tht she was "pushed",i actually belived what is written above. IAnd so it seems tht even entities tht are not state controlled are also full of controversy....there goes my bubble!
But i like Debra,,,i feel tht ususally when she is atttacking these politicians and being biased to the fact tht they are guilty of whatever they are accused of,it is mostly because she may have found info tht suggests tht they are guilty, but she knows tht being the government they will go off free anyways.
The Chuene issue being the example...she hammered him b4 weeks b4 he adimted he lied.....

In contrast...sabc reporters are always on the government's side particulalry anc i was so iriitated with Tshepiso during the election debates.
They will take whatever the gov accused says and not probe into it...knowing very welll tht this people are liars.....gosh i just got remined they are the sabc..they lie themselves about their issues which are more of public interest thn any media house.....


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