All Resources
Category: Media Freedom and Performance [REMOVE]
- Newspapers provide examples of both best and worst practice in reporting child abuse.
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Best and worst practice in reporting on allegations of child abuse can be found in newspapers published on Wednesday the 22nd September 2010.
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- Media insensitive to crash victims
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The deaths of ten school children after a minibus taxi crashed into a train was widely reported in the news for a number of weeks. However, Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) regrets that many news outlets covering the story have earned MADs for failing to uphold the rights of the child victims and their families.
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- State of the Media - Presentation at Sanef
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William Bird, director of MMA, gave a presentation at a Sanef’s summit, which focused on issues of media freedom.
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- Children’s Views not in the News; Portrayal of Children in South African Print Media 2009 -2010
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For this report MMA monitored 13 of South Africa’s major news publications for content on children over a period of nine months (from September 2009 to May 2010. Since 2003 the coverage afforded to children, children’s rights and their issues by the South African media has been steadily growing. According to this report it stands at 11.4%. But there is still significant room for improvement, both in terms of the quantity and quality of reporting on children.
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- Plain language version of the Protection of Information Bill (Open Democracy Advice Centre)
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If you want to know more about the Protection of Information Bill, check out this Plain Language version of the Bill, drawn up by the Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC). Well done to the ODAC for coming up with such a user friendly guide!
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- Submission to Department of Communications (DOC) on the ICASA Amendment Bill
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Media Monitoring Africa registers its concern over the relatively short time period for submissions. Given the importance and scope of the Bill, not just in terms of the issues it seeks to change but also that if implemented it would impact every person in South Africa, and given that there has not yet been a policy review process we believe the short period has prevented:
- Proper, broad-based meaningful consultation with members of the public
- In-depth debate and discussion on the various changes
- The development of clear alternatives to some of the issues provided.The move by the Department of Communications to amend the policy governing ICASA is an exciting and invigorating moment for South Africa. It is of fundamental importance to ensure that all South Africans participate in shaping our “independent” regulator’s future. Especially given the history of its formation, and creation as critical to democracy and media independence. In addition, the role of “independent” regulation in this new digital era is critical to ensuring that all citizen’s needs are catered for, and not just a select few, with higher LSM’s for instance.
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- Child Safety Measures during the World Cup – how did we do?
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About MMA’s children’s radio reporting
This is the first report of Media Monitoring Africa’s (MMA) Children’s Radio Reporting, that engaged various stakeholders on the issues of child protection and trafficking, produced with children. They were selected by their class peers as panelist for the children’s press conference hosted by MMA at the start of the World Cup. As participants in MMA’s school Media Monitoring programme, they became familiar in critically looking at the media, and took on the task with enthusiasm and determination.
“There was no money set aside (by government) for the protection of children.”
(Gyan Dwarika, Social Work Advance Specialist: Child Exploitation, Department of Social Development)With children on extended holidays for the duration of the World Cup, there were concerns that the sporting event brought with it new threats and risks in terms of children’s safety. Children from Saxonwold and Naturena Primary Schools in Johannesburg wanted to find out what was done to keep children safe during the World Cup, how effective they had been, and what role the media had played!
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- Back to School… An opportunity wasted?
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The first day of school always gets media attention, with coverage of how children react to going to school for the first time. The day offers the opportunity to cover children taking a big step in their lives. Past coverage has included many images to show children’s reaction to this event. In the interest of children’s rights in the media, various print mediums were examined during the first week of schools opening for 2010 (13-17 January 2010), to explore the coverage dedicated to the event.
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- MMA response to the Public Broadcasting Bill
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MMA submission on the Public Broadcasting Bill expresses deep concern about many of the aspects of the Bill, including its economic viability and constitutionality. The response requested more research into the viability of the Bill.
Key areas of concern addressed in the submission are:
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- The funding model seems to be inadequate, and it is unclear whether sufficient research has been done on the feasibility and economic impact of the proposed change in funding.
- The Minister’s of Communications’ powers in the proposed Bill, which undermine the independence of the SABC itself, as well as the democratic role of Parliament.
- Legal issues, such as the need to amend several laws, such as the SABC charter changing, the mandate of the Media Diversity and Development Agency (MDDA) and aspects of the Constitution, and the.
- The lack of proper consultation, and far too limited time to do proper research by stakeholders; since the Bill is a complete overhaul of existing legislation, a two month period, over the December holidays, and lack of clear communication by the Department itself, does not constitute proper consultation
- The Walls of Africa - coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall
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Around the world people celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. It symbolised the end of the Cold War and signified the start of a new world order. The single most important question – how did it affect Africa? – is only addressed by a few newspapers in South Africa. However, the question seems more relevant today with public and political debate on nationalisation and demands for a developmental state model.
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