Bethlehem News Spot is a community digital media platform based in the township
of Bohlokong in Bethlehem in the Free State. The project was set up to expand the
community’s worldview, provide fresh local news, important information, and
education content, and to give a voice to the community. Bethlehem News Spot was
started in 2016 by Lucky Maseko as a simple Facebook page that updated people
about what is happening locally after he saw a gap caused by a lack of information in
his community. The company was officially registered in 2020 and is now a
recognized media platform in the community. The media house is still growing and is
expected to grow even bigger once it receives proper funding.
Bethlehem News Spot has built a solid relationship with the community and has
proven to be a reliable source of information. The digital publication strives to report
on issues that affects the community and thus enforce proper service delivery which
has always been one of the top priorities of the online platform. The community of
Bohlokong and surrounding areas relies on the publication to report and fast-track
service delivery issues in the area.
The project gives the community a chance to make any progressive suggestions with
their special live streams which are used to get feedback from the public and note
challenges that are faced by the community. The project gets involved in different
community projects such as food and clothes drive campaigns, and with campaigns
that speak up against gender-based violence. The online media platform also
promotes coverage of news and events that educates the youth.