Across the Desk: Effingere — The Woman Asking South Africa the Difficult Questions

This one has a problem.

For quite some time, Khajiit has enjoyed wandering around WarEra with a journal.

Find an interesting person. Ask inconvenient questions. Write down the answers.

Occasionally get threatened. Occasionally get offered moon sugar.

It is a comfortable profession.

Then this one returned to South Africa and discovered that someone had started doing this properly.

There is now a newsroom.

Political briefs.

Election interviews.

A live presidential debate.

There is even branding.

This one has begun to worry about professional standards.

Behind it all is https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480, member of Congress and the person behind WarErZA, an independent https://app.warera.io/country/683ddd2c24b5a2e114af1612 newsroom that has spent this election cycle interviewing the outgoing government, questioning those seeking to replace them and preparing to host the candidates live before the citizens they hope to lead.

So naturally...

One journalist had to interview the other.

Why WarErZA?

Binya: This one has spent enough time writing articles to know that journalism is a strange hobby which usually rewards you with arguments in the comments. What made you decide that South Africa needed WarErZA, and why have you chosen to take it more seriously now?

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480:
“I am a person who values hard work. I am also a person who values people. That innate drive to understand what is going on, no matter where I find myself, is deeply personal to me, because I have always wanted to belong. So, when I first came to the ZA server, I was quickly overwhelmed: cultural jokes, unfamiliar languages, and an entirely different way of thinking. It was, and still is, fun, especially for someone like me that never really felt I belonged anywhere.

As time went on, however, I began to understand that the game we were all playing was far more complex than I had first thought. Just look at my first successful attempt to join Congress: all I wanted was that neat little Congress symbol next to my name. It´s probably no wonder I didn’t get a second term.

Eventually though, I understood something important. WarEra may just be a game, but there are real people sitting behind those screens every day, sometimes for hours on end, trying to keep everything running and working toward a common goal. I was genuinely in awe of the dedication.

‘Together’, I thought. If I allowed myself to engage, and trusted that maybe I too could contribute and belong, then perhaps I could truly become part of that greater whole.

When I was eventually elected to Congress again, this time as the candidate with the most votes, I actually became increasingly anxious about it. I’m not the smartest person in the room, I don’t possess some brilliantly strategic mind, and economics confuses the hell out of me. I came close to resigning, and even messaged a few people saying that I wanted to.

But then I realised that, instead of trying to contribute in ways I wasn’t particularly good at, I could contribute in the ways that I was.

I quickly took on increased responsibilities for the Hestia I & II server, posting orders and securing contracts when needed. I examined all the info in the embassies. I read chats repeatedly and scrolled through so many channels that my mouse wheel actually broke. I wrote here and there, and spent a lot of time trying to work out where my own competencies could be useful.

And then it clicked.

I’m a damn qualified Swedish and English teacher. I write for fun because writing is my thing. And I thought: ‘if I write about what is happening, I can understand it better too.’

By trying to contribute, I began to see even a fraction of the frankly insane amount of work it takes to keep this country running. And I’ll be damned if I let all of that work simply go to waste.

A presidential candidate, a cabinet, a Congress, they should build upon the work and legacy of the people who came before them. They should not burn it all down, nor should they allow it to rot through neglect.

I love the community we have, and you would underestimate my motivations if you thought WarErZA existed purely for entertainment. For me, it also exists to document what people build here, to make that work visible, and to remind those who consider themselves worthy of positions of power that those positions come with sacrifices, responsibilities, and an obligation to the people around them.

That is why I started writing. And that is why I have begun taking it much more seriously.”

This one had expected an answer about journalism.

Instead, https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 described something much more familiar.

Finding where you belong.

Not everyone contributes by being the strongest fighter. Not everyone understands economics. Not everyone wants to become President.

Sometimes the important question is simply:

What can I do well that helps everyone else?

Apparently https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480's answer was journalism.

And several broken mouse wheels.

Someone Had to Take the Reins

Binya: You covered parts of the previous presidential campaign before establishing the News Room more seriously this month. Was there a particular moment when you realised, “We actually need someone doing this properly”?

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480:
“Adding onto where I left off in the first question: yes, we absolutely need it.

Look, there are two ways we can play this game. We can fuck about and not take any of it seriously, or we can actually commit to the effort that the game demands. I’ll say it again: I know it’s a game. We all do. But this particular game is played the way it is, and if we want the political side of it to mean anything, then somebody has to treat it accordingly.

That was especially true of the election cycle. Somebody needed to take the reins.

Two elections ago, I jokingly suggested to another member of the community that he should interview the candidates. To his credit, he actually did it, and I genuinely appreciated the effort. But while reading it, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways I would have approached it differently.

Last election, I decided to host the presidential debate myself. This time around, I’m taking it considerably further: hosting the debate live, conducting WarErZA interviews, and publishing snippets, briefs, and other election coverage throughout the cycle.

Did I ask anyone for permission to do all of this? No.

I simply saw something I believed the community needed, knew that I was capable of doing it, and took the responsibility upon myself. That is generally the kind of person I am. If I believe something is worth doing, I don’t particularly enjoy waiting around for somebody else to do it first.”

This one approves of the methodology.

See problem. Determine one can solve problem.

Do not wait for committee. Begin.

Khajiit has used a similar process before.

Admittedly, it normally ends with a revolt rather than a newsroom.

Cold Tea, Stars and Swedish Politics

Binya: Where did the inspiration for WarErZA come from, and what do you eventually want it to become? Is the goal primarily political coverage, or do you see it growing into something covering the wider South African community as well?

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480:
“I was up one night working on my book, correcting student papers, and occasionally stirring a cup of tea that had gone cold long ago. I believe the clock was well past midnight, nothing particularly unusual for me, since I tend to stay up late even on workdays.

Eventually, I decided I needed a break. I stepped out onto my porch and looked up at the stars. It is easy to feel lonely in Sweden, especially when you live outside of town, and I found myself thinking about how the past year of my life had gone. My birthday was only a few days away, so I suppose I was feeling particularly reflective.

That train of thought was interrupted when my neighbour across the street turned on his television. Elections are coming up here in Sweden, and naturally there was some politician being interviewed on the screen.

And something just clicked.

‘I enjoy writing. What if I started a newsroom in WarEra?’

The rest more or less happened that night.

What I envision now is something much larger than election coverage. I want WarErZA to become part of the backbone of South Africa and its government, not as propaganda for whoever happens to be president, but as a way of documenting, communicating, and giving life to what happens within the country.

I have always liked the idea of a cultural victory. Politics is certainly part of that, but so are the people themselves. Articles, briefs, snippets, and interviews about food, hobbies, entertainment, community events, politics, and everything in between all fit under the umbrella of WarErZA.

This is not a newsroom for Election Week. It is a newsroom for ZA as a whole, and by extension for ZA’s place in the wider world of WarEra.

Eventually, I would love for it to become something larger than just me. At the moment, I’m looking for journalists who can each take responsibility for their own area, for example, entertainment, and develop their own coverage within the News Room.

The ambition is that, eventually, WarErZA should not simply report on the South African community. It should become part of the culture of that community.”

This one rather likes the phrase “cultural victory.”

Everyone spends so much time staring at the map.

Who owns this region? Who controls that resource? Which alliance is winning?

But countries can become memorable for other reasons.

Their jokes. Their personalities. Their events. Their stories.

Perhaps a newsroom can become another way a country leaves its mark.

This one found himself thinking about the battlefields he has been crossing lately.

Khajiit already spends half his time following wars from one continent to another, writing down what happened, where the damage mattered, who stood beside him and what the fighting actually looked like from the ground.

Perhaps...

War correspondent might not be such a terrible title.

This one made a small note in the margin of the journal.

Ask https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 whether WarErZA accepts heavily armed field reporters.

Sometimes You Have to Be the Asshole

There is, however, a complication. https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 sits in Congress. WarErZA claims independence.

So this one asked the obvious question.

Binya: You are yourself a member of Congress, while WarErZA operates independently. How do you separate https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 the politician from https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 the journalist when you're interviewing the people running the country?

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480e:
“I am an opinionated person when it comes to a lot of things. There have been plenty of times when I have disagreed with a fellow member of Congress, a minister, or someone else involved in government. But where my personal opinions end, my journalistic responsibility begins.

I would be deeply ashamed of myself if I treated players differently because of my relationship with them, whether I liked them, disliked them, agreed with them, or considered them a friend. If WarErZA is going to have any value at all, then the people reading it need to be able to trust that I am willing to ask the same difficult questions regardless of who is sitting across from me.

When it comes to journalism, I think sometimes you have to be the asshole. If everyone is comfortable, if every question is easy, and if nobody is ever challenged, then very little of value is going to come out of a political interview or debate.

During the last election cycle, I asked one of the candidates a deliberately difficult and somewhat loaded question. They became upset, and afterward I genuinely questioned whether I had gone too far. I even had to take a break because I felt as though I had done something wrong.

But, as it turned out, I wasn’t wrong to ask.

That experience taught me something important. I will never ask a question simply for the sake of being cruel, embarrassing someone, or creating drama. But I will dig. I will challenge you. And if you are running for president, I may occasionally make you squirm.

Because ultimately, the presidency is going to put considerably more pressure on you than I ever could.

And if a tiny woman from Sweden asking you difficult questions is enough to break your determination, then perhaps you weren’t the right person for the job after all.”

This one paused here.

That may be one of the clearest statements of what WarErZA intends to be.

Not hostile. Not cruel. Not drama for the sake of drama.

But definitely not comfortable.

Presidential candidates may wish to begin stretching before the debate.

Apparently there will be squirming.

Convince the Country

Binya: You have already interviewed the outgoing President and members of their Cabinet, and now you're preparing to host a live debate between the people hoping to replace them. What responsibility do you think an independent newsroom has during a South African election?

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480:
“I think it comes back to what I said earlier: stay objective, and know the difference between asking a difficult question and simply being an asshole.

No matter what happens, and no matter how much you really, really want to be president, I will not go easy on you. An independent newsroom has a responsibility to make candidates explain themselves, defend their ideas, and demonstrate why the country should trust them with power.

I looked over at our Discord recently and noticed something that made me laugh. I’m no longer grouped with the other members of Congress.

I have my own tab as the Minister of Propaganda now.

So, Mister or Madam President, I am at your disposal, but there is a catch. You first have to convince me, and the rest of our citizens, that you are worth following.”

This one would like to congratulate https://app.warera.io/country/683ddd2c24b5a2e114af1612.

We appear to have created a Minister of Propaganda whose independent newsroom intends to interrogate the President.

Khajiit is certain there is no contradiction here whatsoever.

Still...

There is something healthy in the underlying principle. If someone wants power, perhaps they should have to explain why.

There Is a Line

Binya: Khajiit has discovered that politicians occasionally dislike being asked inconvenient questions. Very strange. When you're interviewing someone you know, or perhaps even someone you personally support, are there questions you would still ask even knowing they might not appreciate them? Where do you draw that line?

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480:
“I would never ask a specifically personal question about someone’s real-life circumstances, nor would I pry into the lives of people connected to a candidate. There is a line between holding someone accountable for how they perform in-game and demanding that they explain their private life to me, and I have no interest in crossing it.

I will, however, absolutely ask why a candidate has been uninvolved or missing in action for extended periods of time.

There may be perfectly legitimate real-life reasons for that. If there are, I genuinely implore candidates to simply say, ‘IRL stuff.’ That is enough for me. You do not owe WarErZA, or me, details about your private life.

However, bear with me as I ask one very simple question:

If IRL circumstances are interfering with the game to such an extent that your absence has become noticeable enough for me to ask about it, then why are you running for president in the first place?

That is where I draw the line. I do not need to know why you are unavailable. But if you are asking people to trust you with the presidency, I think it is entirely fair to ask whether you are actually able to be there to do the job.”

This one thinks this is an important distinction.

A politician does not owe anyone details about their life outside WarEra.

But if they are asking players to trust them with a role that requires time and presence...

Then asking whether they can actually perform the role seems fair. Privacy and accountability do not have to be enemies.

The Sweet Smell of Fear

Then came the presidential debate.

Binya: This month's presidential debate is being hosted live on Discord, with WarErZA then producing an article for citizens who couldn't attend. What do you hope voters will learn from the debate that they wouldn't get simply from reading each candidate's campaign promises?

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480:
“A live discussion puts pressure on the candidates in a way that a written campaign statement simply cannot. I am a leader myself; I have run English departments and classrooms alike. If you want me to follow you, then you had better be able to convince me under pressure.

Campaign promises can be carefully written, edited, reconsidered, and polished before anyone ever sees them. A live debate is different. Candidates have to react to one another, defend their positions, answer follow-up questions, and demonstrate that they actually understand the ideas they are campaigning on.

Sure, citizens will be able to read their answers afterward. But there is something valuable about seeing how someone responds in the moment, especially when another candidate challenges them, or when I ask something they weren’t expecting.

And, of course, nothing quite beats the sweet smell of fear when I really start putting on the pressure.

Besides spamming emotes in chat during debates is always fun to witness.”

This one was with her right up until “the sweet smell of fear.”

Khajiit would like to reassure the candidates.

WarErZA is a professional organisation.

Mostly.

Also, yes.

Emoting during presidential debates is absolutely peak Discord behaviour.

What Would Success Look Like?

Binya: Finally, looking beyond this election: if we come back in three or six months, what would make you look at WarErZA and say, “Yes, this worked”?

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480:
“In three months, I don’t want WarErZA to be just a newsroom. I want it to have become the beating heart of the Office of the Minister of Propaganda, the place from which we reach our citizens, strengthen our community, and present South Africa to the rest of the world.

I envision a tight-knit team working alongside the Minister of Propaganda, and in cooperation with the other ministers, the Vice President, and the President, while still preserving the journalistic independence that gives WarErZA its credibility.

After all, if we are going to have a position called Minister of Propaganda, then let’s give that minister an actual workplace, an actual team, and an actual purpose.

I want the days of the MoP occasionally publishing an article and then disappearing again, to be over. I want a well-oiled machine: journalists covering different parts of our community, regular communication with citizens, political coverage, entertainment, culture, and a genuine effort to make South Africa visible both internally and throughout WarEra.

If, in three or six months, WarErZA has become something that people expect to see, something citizens read, participate in, argue about, laugh about, and perhaps even look forward to, then I will consider it a success.”

This one thinks the last part may actually be the best measure.

Not article count. Not subscriptions. Not how pretty the logo becomes.

Whether people begin to expect WarErZA to exist.

Whether citizens notice when the next story arrives.

And perhaps, eventually...

Whether they notice if it doesn't.

Enough Serious Questions

This one had heard quite enough about journalism.

Democracy. Accountability. Culture. Political responsibility.

There were more important matters.

Binya: Breaking news arrives at the same moment as https://app.warera.io/country/683ddd2c24b5a2e114af1612 desperately needs damage in a close battle. Reporter https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 or fighter https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480—which one wins?

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480:
“For argument’s sake, let’s say I’m the only member of the newsroom.

I will always put the country first. If https://app.warera.io/country/683ddd2c24b5a2e114af1612 needs damage more than it needs an article, then damage it is. If breaking the news would help the country more, then the newsroom wins.

There is no ‘I’ in this game, as far as I’m concerned. Everything we do is part of a collective effort, and sometimes that means putting aside the role you want to play in order to do the thing the country actually needs.

Although, ideally, I’d like enough journalists in the newsroom that Fighter https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 can go bash somebody’s head in while Reporter https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 still gets the headline out.”

This one believes WarErZA has just published its recruitment strategy.

Join the News Room.

Your editor may occasionally be unavailable because she is bashing someone’s head in.

Can WarErZA Be Bribed?

Finally...

A completely hypothetical scenario.

Binya: This one accidentally provides an extremely embarrassing quote during an interview and immediately offers the journalist moon sugar to forget it. Does WarEraZA accept bribes, and if not, how much moon sugar would cause the newsroom to reconsider its editorial policy?

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480:
“Lesser people might fall for bribes. Not me.

That being said, I am always willing to lend an ear, and perhaps my lips, for a favour or two, provided we can come to some sort of… arrangement.

Moon sugar alone won’t buy WarErZA’s silence.

But in the end, a woman has needs, right?”

...

This one slowly returned the moon sugar to his bag. Khajiit has several follow-up questions.

For the continued dignity of everyone involved...

This one will ask none of them.

Someone Has to Write It Down

This one entered the interview expecting to learn why https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 decided https://app.warera.io/country/683ddd2c24b5a2e114af1612 needed a newsroom.

Khajiit leaves thinking the answer is considerably larger.

WarErZA began with someone trying to work out where she belonged.

Someone who entered Congress and eventually realised that contribution did not mean becoming the best strategist, economist or fighter in the room. It could mean recognising what you are already good at...

And using it.

For https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480, that was writing. At first, writing helped her understand what South Africa was doing. Then she saw the work behind it. The hours. The organisation. The political effort. The people.

And she decided that work deserved to be visible.

Perhaps that is where WarErZA stops being merely an election project.

https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 said:

“I’ll be damned if I let all of that work simply go to waste.”

This one thinks that may be the heart of the whole newsroom.

Regions change hands. Governments change. Presidents leave. Another President arrives.

Today's enormous battle eventually becomes an ID nobody remembers.

But communities leave stories behind.

Someone has to ask the questions.

Someone has to record the answers.

Someone has to write down what everyone built before the map changes again.

Apparently South Africa now has two people foolish enough to volunteer.

This one welcomes https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 and WarErZA to the profession.

Although Khajiit has developed one slight professional insecurity.

WarErZA has:

A newsroom. Journalists. Political briefs. Interviews. A presidential debate.

A logo.

Professional documents bearing the motto:

YOUR. VOICE. MATTERS.

This one has...

A travelling journal. A sniper rifle. And a hamster who occasionally drives the tank.

And, perhaps soon, a press badge.

Hmm.

This one should probably speak to https://app.warera.io/user/697f856b15e8474880f62480 about the war correspondent position before comparing budgets.

May your roads lead to warm sands.

https://app.warera.io/user/68e538c09c4aafa6f1a0bd5c