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- Quantity abounds - But is it quality? And how did it get there?
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The Media Monitoring Project in association with the Open Society Foundation and SAfm present QUANTITY ABOUNDS - BUT IS IT QUALITY? AND HOW DID IT GET THERE?
How much do you know about the complicated processes behind the compiling of a news story?
The choice of a particular picture, the layout of a page, the wording of a script put to pictures?
Tune in to MEDIA @ SAfm this Sunday for another radio conference unpacking the processes behind the production of news.
In QUANTITY ABOUNDS - BUT IS IT QUALITY? AND HOW DID IT GET THERE?, our panel of industry experts will not only expose us to the latest trends in news reporting but also in content syndication, design and layout. We’ll also asses the state of broadcast, mobile and multimedia - and address growing challenges to good journalism.
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- Adopted child at risk of remarks and ridicule after Beeld’s thoughtless publication
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The story about an abandoned baby finding a happy home with the police officer that found her is a happy one. However, the Beeld’s coverage of this story (“’Emmer’-baba wettig ma s’n” or “’Bucket’-baby legally mother’s”, 29/04/08, p. 7) is something to get mad about. By identifying the now 4-year old, Beeld put the child at risk of gossip and ridicule. This unfortunate outcome is made even more likely by the nickname she is given in the headline; ‘Emmer’-baba or ‘Bucket’-baby.
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- Beeld brings attention to children and their rights
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Beeld’s article ”Leer ons kinders van die reg” or ”Teach us children about their rights”(14/04/08, p.8) by Alet Rademeyer is one be glad of because it brings children’s rights to the attention of the reader.
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- Naming and shaming the ‘Freestate Four’: Privacy, dignity and the public interest
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Media reports about the abuse of cleaning staff by students at the University of the Free State got horrified responses from various quarters. In this climate of public outrage, the print media had the choice of whether to make the identities of the offenders and victims public, or not. Most media seemed to have decided to publish the identities of the perpetrators, some media even added to the initial infringement on the victims’ dignity by revealing their identities. This article explores the ethics and reasons around this decision.
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- Beeld highlights children’s rights
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18/04/2008, 2.37 PM
Beeld’s article ”Leer ons kinders van die reg” or ”Teach us children about their rights”(14/04/08, p.8) by Alet Rademeyer is one be glad of because it brings children’s rights to the attention of the reader.
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- Report on school children fails to seek the truth
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The article “Evil steals our boys” (Daily Sun, 11/04/2008, p. 5) about thirty boys from a school in the Northern Cape, which Daily Sun claims are possessed by the devil, is an article to get mad about. This is because Daily Sun broke the Code of Ethics for journalists by failing to seek the truth or inform readers properly. Instead of questioning what was happening at the school, they simply attribute the apparently strange behaviour of the boys to their possession by evil.
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- Guinea pigs and the frantic search for the AIDS vaccine gel
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The coverage of Microbicide trails in 2007 the following findings showed the following patterns:
- The stories were afforded significant prominence in some of the newspapers monitored.
- Just over a quarter of the content items dramatised the issues. This included using phrases such as “frantic search”, describing the volunteers as “desperate” or “pleading”, the use of exclamation marks, different font sizes and capitals to emphasise controversy, and the use of unnamed sources who make allegations that are not substantiated in the items monitored;
- Most content items analysed show a clear bias either in favour of the HIV and AIDS researchers, or against the researchers.
- In contrast, the volunteers are treated ambivalently and even in a demeaning way in several content items.
- The Star provides excellent example of proactive media
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The comprehensive reporting in The Star (“Legislation needed to make toys safer for our children”, “Tough tests done to achieve standards” and “What to look out for”, 08/04/08, p. 6) on the safety of children’s toys by Barry Bateman is coverage that should be commended. The articles report on an important issue rarely considered newsworthy, provide in depth and comprehensive coverage, access numerous sources, and are proactive in calling on duty bearers to develop legislation around the identified gap in legislation.
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- Meeting their public mandate?: A Critical Analysis of South African Media Statutory Bodies
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This book, published by the Open Society Foundation and written by various organisations, offers insignt into the South African Media Statutory Bodies. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the Universal Services Agency, and the Media Development and Diversity Agency are explored in terms of their mandates. The Media Monitoring Project conducted the research and wrote the analysis of the SABC.
Placed here with the kind permission of the Open Society Foundation.
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- Domestic violence article misses opportunity to educate and violates child’s rights
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On the 30 March 2008, the Sunday Sun printed a story about a man convicted for the rape of his wife (“Husband gets 9 years for assaulting, raping wife” p.15)[1]. The article is one to get mad about as it its publication could lead to further abuse of the child involved, it contravenes the Criminal Procedure Act and it missed the opportunity to educate readers about how domestic violence affects children.
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