Best News & Entertainment '24

Maryn Blignaut

Education: BA in Communication Science, University of South Africa (2012–2016), AFP Digital Investigation Techniques (GNI, 2023), Google News Initiative training (2024), Thomson Reuters Foundation AI Adoption Training and WAN-IFRA Women in News Programme (2025)

Experience: Briefly News (2017-present)

Awards: - Best Appealing Storytelling: Highest Average Pageviews, 2023 by Briefly News - Awarded the 2023 Gender Mainstreaming Award (Empowerment of Women in the Community) as part of the Briefly News team

Maryn Blignaut is the Editor-in-Chief at Briefly News, with nine years of experience in digital journalism. She holds a BA in Communication Science from the University of South Africa (2016) and specialises in digital storytelling and feature writing. She has completed advanced professional training in media and innovation, including the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course, multiple Google News Initiative programmes, Thomson Reuters AI Adoption Training, and the WAN-IFRA Women in News leadership programme. For enquiries, contact maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za

1172 articles published since 30 Oct 2017

Author's articles

Media personality marks 52nd birthday with beautiful photos; fans celebrate her new age

Media personality marks 52nd birthday with beautiful photos; fans celebrate her new age

Africa

4 years ago

Meet Dominic Oduro, the man who turned down university education to sell fried yam

Meet Dominic Oduro, the man who turned down university education to sell fried yam

Africa

4 years ago

I sponsored her in school: Man whose girlfriend of 4 years turned down his proposal tearfully speaks

I sponsored her in school: Man whose girlfriend of 4 years turned down his proposal tearfully speaks

Africa

4 years ago

Sweet video shows moment little boy professed love to his father as soon as he returned from work, causes stir

Sweet video shows moment little boy professed love to his father as soon as he returned from work, causes stir

US

4 years ago

Lady with first-class degree finally lands job after 4 years of rejections

Lady with first-class degree finally lands job after 4 years of rejections

Africa

4 years ago

Man who cried to be delivered from drug abuse in 2014 experiences transformation, his new looks surprise many

Man who cried to be delivered from drug abuse in 2014 experiences transformation, his new looks surprise many

Africa

4 years ago

Why buy DSTV? Reactions as young man who sought help to furnish room after leaving parents' house upgrades it

Why buy DSTV? Reactions as young man who sought help to furnish room after leaving parents' house upgrades it

Africa

4 years ago

The young Nigerian man who had cried out for help on social media to furnish his empty self-con after moving out of his parents' house has shown off his home.

Supermarket closes for the day, mistakenly locks customer inside, he drinks wine & enjoys himself in video

Supermarket closes for the day, mistakenly locks customer inside, he drinks wine & enjoys himself in video

US

4 years ago

A young man who was locked inside a supermarket as the last worker closed shop without checking properly enjoyed himself to a bottle of wine and several drinks.

Moment man who was sold at age 4 reunites with his family more than 30 years after, emotional video goes viral

Moment man who was sold at age 4 reunites with his family more than 30 years after, emotional video goes viral

Asia

4 years ago

A young man, Jingwei, who was abducted many years ago has spoken to the media how he was able to locate his home with the help of a map he drew from his memory.

Woman shows off tiny hut made of earthen materials she lives in for 20 years with no electricity & internet

Woman shows off tiny hut made of earthen materials she lives in for 20 years with no electricity & internet

Europe

4 years ago

A pro-nature woman named Emma has shown off the tiny earthen house she has lived in for the past 20 years. It has no electricity, running water and internet.

4 Old people who went back to school despite their age, 1 now has many degrees

4 Old people who went back to school despite their age, 1 now has many degrees

Africa

4 years ago

One of the people who eventually graduated said that one can't go far in life except through formal education. They all had the willpower to succeed in school.

Kevin Dugar: Man Who Spent 20 Years in Prison Released after Identical Twin Confesses to Crime

Kevin Dugar: Man Who Spent 20 Years in Prison Released after Identical Twin Confesses to Crime

US

4 years ago

Kevin Dugar was jailed over a fatal shooting in 2003 and spent almost two years in prison. Dugar was freed when his twin, Karl Smith, confessed to the crime.

Game of Thrones Actor Peter Dinklage Criticises Disney for Backwards Remake of Snow White

Game of Thrones Actor Peter Dinklage Criticises Disney for Backwards Remake of Snow White

US

4 years ago

Peter Dinklage was nowhere near delighted by Disney's 'backward' thinking in Snow White and The Seven Dwarves remake, and their use of the said characters.

Ozzie: The World's Oldest Male Gorilla Dies Aged 61 at US Zoo

Ozzie: The World's Oldest Male Gorilla Dies Aged 61 at US Zoo

US

4 years ago

Officials from Zoo Atlanta have confirmed that Ozzie, the world's oldest male gorilla, has died in the US aged 61. The cause of death is yet to be established.

Couple Married for Nearly 70 Years Dies Hours Apart After Contracting COVID-19

Couple Married for Nearly 70 Years Dies Hours Apart After Contracting COVID-19

US

4 years ago

According to the couple's children their father was a joker who made everyone around him laugh. They described their late mum as a stern one but always jovial.

Maryn Blignaut