A former crime reporter turns memoirist to expose the hidden pressures that shape South African journalism—and the personal cost of refusing to stay quiet. Picture Credits: Wordsworth Books
By Duncan Mnisi
Book Review – In I Will Not Be Silenced, veteran investigative journalist Karyn Maughan lifts the lid on a career spent uncovering Johannesburg’s darkest truths — and the powerful forces that tried to bury them. The memoir unfolds like a series of sharply crafted dispatches, shifting between the gritty streets of Hillbrow and the polished boardrooms where stories are shaped, softened, or suppressed.
Maughan’s writing is spare yet vivid, unmistakably carrying the precision of a seasoned reporter. Early in the book she reflects, “The ink may dry, but the pressure never does,” a line that crystallises the memoir’s central tension: the constant battle against political interference, legal intimidation, and a media landscape increasingly constrained by corporate interests. The quote sets the tone for the chapters that follow — a raw, candid chronicle of stories she pursued despite threats, and the personal consequences that came with choosing truth over safety.
The memoir is anchored around three defining episodes: her 2015 exposé of police corruption, the bruising 2018 court fight over a leaked government memo, and the deeply personal 2022 legal battle that forced her to confront the very institutions she once relied on. Across these chapters, Maughan balances meticulous reporting with introspective honesty, revealing both the public pressures of the job and the private toll it exacted.
One of the book’s most striking moments comes in her retelling of a midnight call from an anonymous source: “I was told, ‘If you run this, they’ll come for you.’ I replied, ‘If they come, they’ll find a story that’s already out.’” That unwavering defiance pulses throughout the memoir, underscoring her belief that silence — not danger — poses the greatest threat to democracy.
From a journalistic perspective, the memoir is a masterclass in ethical decision-making under extreme pressure. Maughan openly confronts the grey areas: the temptation to dilute a headline, the weight of responsibility toward vulnerable sources, and the emotional strain of working under constant scrutiny. “There is a fine line between courage and recklessness,” she writes, “and sometimes the line is drawn in the newsroom, not in the courtroom.”
Beyond her personal story, Maughan uses the memoir to interrogate the wider challenges facing South African journalism: the rise of state-driven disinformation campaigns, the fragility of freelance work, and the gendered harassment that women journalists endure daily. While these issues are well-documented, her lived experience brings a fresh urgency and intensity to them.
I Will Not Be Silenced is more than a memoir — it is an indictment of the forces that seek to mute truth-tellers, and a rallying cry for press freedom in an era when misinformation dominates public discourse. Maughan’s story is a reminder that speaking out, even when it feels dangerous or isolating, is itself an act of resistance.
Bottom line: Karyn Maughan delivers a gripping, courageous and tightly wrought account that is equal parts personal confession and political commentary. In a time when “fake news” dominates the headlines, her voice — steady, relentless and unbowed — is a crucial reminder of why journalists cannot, and must not, be silenced.er in Cape Town’s public libraries.
