News
- EU, Save the Children plead for children’s rights respect in SA, Zambia media
The European Union (EU), Save the Children, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) , South Africa’s Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) and Zambia’s Media Network on Child’s Rights and Development (MNCRD) have this week jointly launched a daring project, ‘Children and Media: Championing Best Practice’, which aims to work with 570 children and 500 journalists to ensure children’s rights are respected in the media, and a more representative and ethical journalism is practised in both countries.
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- 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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- ‘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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- 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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- Say sorry ‘in kind’
Punishment given to newspapers for irresponsible reporting should be “proportionate” to the harm caused, said Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) on Thursday.
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- Press Council hearings start with robust debate - but no ANC
Having threatened to impose a statutory media appeals tribunal on South Africa – despite global condemnation and in the face of the Constitutional protection of a free media as President Jacob Zuma said in his State of the Nation address – the chief complainant, the ANC, failed even to attend the first hearings of the Press Council on Thursday. By JULIE REID.
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- A South African First: Child Media Monitors make a submission to the Press Council
For the first time children will be making an oral submission to the Press Council in its current review process. Children from local schools work with Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) as part of its Children’s Media Monitoring Project (CMMP). These child media monitors, who keep a close eye on the media and do daily monitoring on its representation of children, will be giving their suggestions to the Press Council.
MMA will also be making its submission to the Press Council directly after the children’s slot, and will give balanced views on the ongoing debates around calls for a Media Appeals Tribunal, poor and unethical reporting, accountability and regulation of the press.
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- Daily Sun newspaper under fire from media monitoring organisation
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) had hoped that the South African media would start 2011 with good intentions, and perhaps adopt the New Year’s resolution of ensuring children’s rights are upheld and protected in the press.
Daily Sun is South Africa’s biggest selling National newspaper and last year it came third in MMA’s ratings for best practice reporting on children. However rather than putting its best foot forward for 2011, Daily Sun has gotten off to an abysmal start.
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