Test Your Media Personality

Want to know where you stand in relation to some of the greats in your perception of the media?

Are you more like Mugabe or closer to Mandela? Take our easy Media Personality test and see how you would score in media freedom, ethics, and quality. Yes, it is opinionated and biased in favour of human rights, but then we think most of the finest people are. As human rights activists, we happily accept and encourage a diversity of views, so feel free to tell us what you think.

Choose one answer to the following questions that sits most comfortably with your views.

1. The media should be able to say whatever they like…

Always. Media freedom is central to democracy and any limitation undermines the media’s ability to do their job, so there should be no restrictions whatsoever. Mostly. Media freedom is central to democracy but they need to take into account the context they operate in and balance decisions against other rights, freedoms and responsibilities. Sometimes. Media need greater restriction. One of the problems we face is too much media freedom – they show anything and intrude into people’s lives.

2. The private lives of politicians and holders of public office should be reported…

Only where the official concerned agrees and makes the aspect of her/his private life public. The media are too sensational and intrusive and need to be limited. All of the time – as public officials, they answer to citizens and their private lives are subject to scrutiny in all matters. Most of the time. As public officials, their activities must be subjected to scrutiny, but should be reported on only where they can undermine or affect their public duties.

3. Media self-regulation is…

Not without its flaws and problems but is useful in helping to resolve and address basic media errors. Ineffective. In most instances it is a means of appearing to be accountable to the public, but regulation by other bodies outside the media is the only way to ensure media accountability. The most effective and only legitimate means of holding media to account in a democracy and ensuring errors are corrected while maintaining media freedom without political interference.

4. You are a journalist interviewing a source who, at the end of the interview, says: “This is off the record, so please don’t report it, but…”, and proceeds to reveal information vital to your story. Do you…

Find the off-the-record information so useful you decide to include it in your story anyway and name the source, thinking that the person knew full well they were speaking to a journalist. Had they not wanted the information brought into the public domain they would not have given it to you. Ask the source if you can include the information but protect the identity of your source, thinking that the information is in the public interest so it must be included – you just need a way of doing so without compromising the source. Not include any of the off-the-record information in your story, thinking that you may want to call the source in future and so you need to respect her wishes.

5. You subscribe to a daily newspaper. The subscription runs out and you decide not to renew it, but the newspaper continues to be delivered for weeks. Do you…

Wait a few weeks, then call the subscription service and inform them that the newspaper is still being delivered even though your subscription has expired. Continue receiving the paper as long as it is being delivered, thinking that it is the paper’s problem that it hasn’t cancelled delivery. Call the subscription service after two days and send an email requesting that the delivery is halted as your subscription has expired.

6. You are the editor of a trashy tabloid newspaper. You receive a call from the police informing you that a famous sports star has been arrested on charges of statutory rape – he says he had an “affair” with a girl whom he thought was over 16. The police inform you that she is only 14. The sports star says he is being set up and is the target of a smear campaign.

You report the story using sensationalist headlines and pictures but you do not name or identify the sports star or the girl who is making the accusation as she is an alleged victim and witness, and you wish to minimise harm. You report the story using pictures of the sports star and his family and of the girl who is accusing him. Your readers want all the juicy details. You report the story using pictures but you do not name or identify the sports star until he has pleaded in court as you want to protect his family. You do show pictures of the girl’s father, who encouraged his daughter to inform police of the rape.

7. A political party reveals its elections list and party manifesto. Do you…

Decide to do a story on it irrespective of the party. As 50/50 representation is a goal of government, you also focus on the gender dimensions of the list, looking at the relative numbers of women and men, as well as addressing any gender dimensions in the party manifesto. See if it is a party that you think is interesting, and only if you think it is, report on who will get the senior positions and who lost out. Decide to do a story on it irrespective of the party, and focus on both the gender dimensions and the implications of the senior positions and their policies on a range of issues including poverty, child abuse, gender-based violence and HIV.

8. Viewers of your channel inform you of a deeply impoverished family who, owing to a range of tragic circumstances, have no food or shelter. The family is headed by a 16-year-old girl, who looks after her three younger siblings and a very ill grandmother.

In your story, you highlight the resilience of the family who are surviving with so little and explore how they came to this situation and why they are not receiving welfare grants. You also seek a response from the Department of Social Welfare, and provide information on the key means of assisting other people in similar situations. To get the sympathy of your viewers you show the pitiful conditions of the family and include the smaller children with potbellies and flies in their eyes. You ask your viewers to help by donating food and clothes to the family concerned. You show the family and the conditions they live in and you invite viewers to help, but you also seek a response from the Department of Social Welfare.

9. Parents of students at several schools in one provincial district have complained that their schools have had no access to textbooks in preparation for Grade 12 exams, and have been without running water for months. In reporting the story, you…

Interview parents for their thoughts on their children’s situation and what is happening in the schools, and report their story together with pictures of the students at their desks without books to show context. Interview parents and the school, reporting where they believe the problem lies and how difficult it is to teach under these conditions. The Department of Education is also asked to explain how such a situation could arise. The report includes pictures of the teachers in poorly resourced classrooms. Report the story including interviews with students, teachers and school heads, exploring how this affects them and where they believe the problems lie. The Department of Education is also asked for an explanation, and asked how parents and schools can access information and report issues to the Department in order to seek resolution. The report includes images of the students interviewed, trying to study without textbooks.

Test Your Media Personality

1. The media should be able to say whatever they like…

2. The private lives of politicians and holders of public office should be reported…

3. Media self-regulation is…

4. You are a journalist interviewing a source who, at the end of the interview, says: “This is off the record, so please don’t report it, but…”, and proceeds to reveal information vital to your story. Do you…

5. You subscribe to a daily newspaper. The subscription runs out and you decide not to renew it, but the newspaper continues to be delivered for weeks. Do you…

7. A political party reveals its elections list and party manifesto. Do you…

8. Viewers of your channel inform you of a deeply impoverished family who, owing to a range of tragic circumstances, have no food or shelter. The family is headed by a 16-year-old girl, who looks after her three younger siblings and a very ill grandmother.

9. Parents of students at several schools in one provincial district have complained that their schools have had no access to textbooks in preparation for Grade 12 exams, and have been without running water for months. In reporting the story, you…

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