ABSTRACT Any situation on the brink of change requires guides to assist in navigating such a new shared social space. Journalism is one such form of guidance. However, just as societal conditions are constantly in flux, so are the conditions under which journalism is practised. This is particularly true for the current generation of journalists with the lines between mainstream and alternative forms of journalism almost completely obscured. While the journalistic landscape is fluid, lessons for navigating this world can be found in the work of journalists from previous eras. This article places the work of South African journalist Nat Nakasa, a member of the 1960s Drum Generation, in conversation with the ideas of existentialism to further an understanding of existentialism in a South African context, and for South African journalism. This is achieved by identifying themes in Nakasa’s work and linking these to some of the ideas of existentialism. The article argues that maintaining a public sphere within a democratic society requires a media sphere with space for mainstream and unconventional journalism. At the hand of an analysis of Nakasa’s work, the article presents a possibility of how unconventional journalism can be a vital element to a pluralistic media environment and to guide society through any period of change.

中文翻译：

---

Nat Nakasa的心声：非常规记者在“新常态”中担任感官

摘要处于变革边缘的任何情况都需要指南，以协助在这样一个新的共享社会空间中导航。新闻业就是这种形式的指导。但是，正如社会条件不断变化一样，新闻业的实践条件也在不断变化。对于当前这一代的记者尤其如此，主流新闻和其他形式的新闻之间的界线几乎完全被掩盖了。尽管新闻业的格局是多变的，但在过去的新闻工作者的工作中可以找到有关在这个世界上航行的经验教训。本文将南非新闻工作者纳塔萨（Nat Nakasa）（1960年代鼓一代成员）的工作与存在主义的思想进行对话，以进一步理解南非语境下的存在主义以及对南非新闻业的理解。这是通过确定中sa作品中的主题并将其与某些存在主义思想联系起来而实现的。文章认为，要在民主社会中维持公共领域，就需要一个具有主流和非常规新闻业空间的媒体领域。在对Nakasa的工作进行分析时，这篇文章提出了一种可能性，即非常规新闻如何成为多元媒体环境的重要元素，并在任何变化时期指导社会。