RONIT LOEWENSTERN: The top journalist with international experience joins the Western Institute of Technology.
A former top journalist with international experience is to head the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki's (WITT) School of Journalism.
Ronit Loewenstern comes to WITT from the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe where she has been lecturing for the past five years at Bulawayo University teaching
the journalism and media studies degree.
Before that she worked for various journalism institutions around the world, including the Financial Times in London, and The Star in Johannesburg.
Loewenstern studied for a BA at the University of Natal, Durban, South Africa, and did her masters of science, journalism at the Medill School of Journalism, Evanston, Illinois, where she specialised in science and business writing.
In later years, Loewenstern specialised in human rights and the media, with an emphasis on the effect of apartheid in South Africa.
She also ventured into broadcast journalism working for the South African Broadcasting Corporation and Worldwide Television News in London.
Loewenstern will begin teaching at WITT in June. She will take over from Gordon Brown, who has filled in temporarily for former permanent journalism head Jim Tucker, who has since become the executive director of the Journalists' Training Organisation.
Rod Bentham, head of department, media and communication, at WITT, was pleased that someone of Loewenstern's calibre would be heading the journalism school.
"Ronit's background and experience ensures the continuation of the high quality of teaching the school has offered. Her experience in international newsrooms adds a new dimension to the journalism school and strengthens its reputation as one of New Zealand's leading schools,'' he says.
In addition to Loewenstern, WITT has recently appointed experienced journalist Kevin Calvert to deliver on-line journalism training via the introductory certificate in news journalism and national diploma in journalism.
Calvert has recently returned to Taranaki, where he began his career at The Taranaki Herald. For the past 10 years he has worked as an executive producer for Television New Zealand.
