News
- Changing the light bulb
“Instead of working in the dark, we should change the light bulb. This project is changing the bulb”
That’s how Susanne Martin of the European Delegation described a new project launched today: Children and Media: Championing Best Practice.
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- Tutu vra Afrika om land te beskerm
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, on behalf of civil society organizations in Africa. has called on African governments to protect the people of Libya against the “evil government” of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Tutu accused Gaddafi’s government of working to commit “crimes against humanity”.
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- Media Monitoring Africa calls for Press Council overhaul
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) has called on the Press Council of South Africa to make significant changes so that it can better protect consumers against a media that is “dumbing down” readers by favouring titillation and personality politics over democratic issues and development stories.
“The commercial imperative (of the press) does affect our democracy because we know the key imperative there is profit making and therefore you are going to sing to the tune of your advertisers,” said MMA policy head Prinola Govenden.
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- ‘The media must stop violating us’ – children
In a special submission to the Press Council this week, children spoke of how the news media further perpetuates the abuse and violation of children’s rights.
Two primary school children, just one year short of being teen-agers, braved the small crowd of adults at Wits University to speak on behalf of fellow South African children. Their presentation at the start of hearings by the Press Council of South Africa highlighted the mistakes done by the media when covering children who have been abused, raped, harmed physically, emotionally, and so on.
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- Poor, marginalised have no voice
Will a stronger Press Council raise local journalism standards?
Press Ombudsman Joe Thloloe thinks so but Anton Harber, professor of journalism at Wits University, disagrees.
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- ANC absent from hearings on media
The African National Congress said yesterday it had no plans to make submissions to the Press Council of SA on how to improve the regulation system, saying the party had already taken a policy decision in favour of a media appeals tribunal.
The party has been very vocal about the need for better regulation and transformation of print media, saying in the currently flawed system only a tribunal could hold the media “accountable”. Its tribunal plan has raised questions about its motives and whether it is a veiled attempt to gain control of SA’s print media.
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- Revamp of Press Council ‘overdue’
JUDGING from the submissions to the Press Council of SA, a review of its functions is long overdue, and if the recommendations are implemented, the result could be a more dynamic and interactive body.
The council is an independent organisation, funded by five media organisations — the Newspaper Association of SA, the Magazine Publishers Association of SA, the Association of Independent Publishers, the Forum of Community Journalists and the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) — to regulate the media.
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- Treat us with respect, children tell media
WE WANT more respect from the press, said children speaking to the Press Ombudsman at a public hearing at Wits University yesterday morning.
“Journalists violate our rights when they report about us,” Michaela Lekay, 12, of Turffontein, told the hearing.
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- Learners say media is neglecting children
A group of children on Thursday told the Press Council that it needs to have stricter guidelines for newspaper journalists reporting on their issues.
They were part of the public hearings on the press code that started at Wits University in Johannesburg.
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