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Category: Children [REMOVE]
- Stop identifying child witnesses, MMA urges
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A number of newspapers reported on the sad murder of a prominent figure in August 2009. Sowetan’s article, “Anguish of Murdered [ ]’s wife and son” [1] (14/08/09, p. 4), about the murder received a MAD OAT Mad nomination for directly identifying a child witness, the prominent figure’s child, where other newspapers had not included this information.
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- Saturday Star silences children, sometimes
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Saturday Star’s articles “Ernie’s boys shine at annual golf tournament” and “Primary school soccer in new discovery” (15/08/09, p. 19) are ones to get mad about. While the sports related articles are about children, they do not access children themselves.
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- The Star highlights MXit and cell phone hazards for teenagers
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In July and August 2009, there was a lot of media attention surrounding the disappearance and re-appearance of a girl associated with MXit. The Star, in “Girls disappearance highlights the hazards of MXit” (04/08/09, p.2) by Gill Gifford, instead of focusing on the circumstances, used the occasion to highlight some of the hazards posed by cell phone use and social networking for teenagers. It also provided advice to parents on minimising risks.
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- The Star protects kids from stigma
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The article “Adoption agencies feeling the pinch” (The Star, 31/07/09, p. 24) by Kanina Foss is one to be glad of. It brings attention to the need in South Africa for the adoption of children, in a way that is both informative and protects children from stigma.
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- Efforts undermined by indirect identication of child witness
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Sowetan’s article, “Court told how trio robbed Banyana star” (31/07/09, p. 6), received a MAD OAT Mad nomination for contravening Section 154(3) of the Criminal Procedure Act by indirectly identifying a child witness during court proceedings.
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- Maintenance reporting by Sowetan violates children’s rights to dignity and privacy - again
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Sowetan’s article, “I will not pay maintenance” (22/07/09, p. 5), was something to be MAD about. The article received a MAD OAT Mad nomination for contravening the Maintenance Act by indirectly identifying the children in the article and failing to protect their rights to privacy and dignity. As this is not the first time Sowetan had done this, for which it received previous MAD OAT Mad nominations, this article is particularly maddening.
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- The Star and City Press commit themselves to rooting out bullying in schools
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As a key source of information, media has a responsibility to respect, protect, facilitate and fulfil children’s rights. The Star, through a series of articles ( “I’m afraid he may rape me” , 14/07/09, p.1; “Pushed, teased, hit, raped” and “Abuse is happening everywhere” ,16/07/09, p. 1; “Your SMS feedback” , 16/07/09, p. 5; “Policies devised to counter bullying – MEC” , 17/07/09, p. 1; and “College acts on bullying with hotline”, 22/07/09, p. 3) by Angelique Serrao, stands out for exposing bullying in schools, and prompting action by government and the school involved. City Press also stands out for taking a preventative approach to bullying, in its article “The playground mafia” (09/08/09, p.23) by Mokgadi Seabi. Both The Star and City Press deserve a Glad nomination
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- Business Day demystifies ADHD
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The article in Business Day, “A new view of energetic children” (15/07/09, p. 7) by Jeannette Moninger is one to be glad of. The enlightening article has a “feel good” photograph and educates parents about Attention Deficit and Hyper-Activity Disorder (ADHD).
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- Sunday Times gives a face to diversity of South African families
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The Sunday Times feature, “The changing face of the South African family” (12/07/09, p. 3) on South Africa’s diverse families is to be commended. The feature illustrated, through a number of articles and profiles, the different family structures that have come to exist in South Africa, formed by issues such as poverty, inter-racial and same sex marriages. It also featured many pictures of children from diverse families, all depicted in a positive light as part of a family unit.
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- Daily Sun coverage of child neglect protects children’s rights to privacy and dignity
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Daily Sun’s article, “Dumped in misery” (03/07/09, p.4) by Gregory Peterson about four children abandoned by their parents is one to be glad of. It brought attention to a case of child abuse and neglect, and protected the identity of the children.
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