Media Analysis
Media Monitoring Africa releases periodic media analysis pieces looking at current issues in the media though a human rights lens.
Category: Gender [REMOVE]
- The Sunday Times dedicates an edition to wonderful women.
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The Sunday Times dedicates its edition on the 23rd of May 2010 to both powerful and ordinary women doing great work for the economy and in their communities.
- Election coverage 6 March 2009 - ANC the talk of the provinces
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Media Monitoring Africa has monitored every democratic election in South Africa. This year we are doing the same, providing daily and weekly reports on media coverage of election news, as well as MMA’s Election Media Ratings.
- Election coverage 25 February 2009 - Malemaphilia or otherwise?
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Media Monitoring Africa has monitored every democratic election in South Africa. This year we are doing the same, providing daily reports on media coverage of election news[1], weekly reports as well as MMA’s Election Media Ratings.
Top stories for Wednesday the 25 February are:
- 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.
- Wailing women on e-tv news
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In the month of August, Women’s Month, the Media Monitoring Project (MMP) monitored the media with a specific focus on the portrayal of women. This is part of MMP’s work as an independent media watchdog, fundamentally concerned with promoting Human Rights in the media. During the monitoring of the news bulletins it appeared the women were often shown crying to add drama to the various stories.
- The ethics of 16 Days Media coverage
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During 2006 the Media Monitoring Project analysed coverage of the 16 days campaign to examine whether media upheld generally accepted media ethical principles. The findings show that, in covering the Campaign stories, the media most commonly violates the principle to do no harm, frequently by identifying the victim and exposing them to potential further abuse and victimisation.
- Refugees and gender
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South Africa was the main destination, worldwide, for new asylum-seekers in 2006, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It is surprising then, the lack of attention that World Refugee Day and its associated gender issues got from the South African media.
- Women’s Day 2007: Prominent women dominate newspapers
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In this update, we look at the South African media’s coverage of women on National Women’s Day, and the day before and after in the daily print. News media with weekly publications were investigated the week before and after the commemoration of the event. This was monitored by the Media Monitoring Project (MMP) in line with its media challenge for 2007. The investigation revealed that newspaper coverage around Women’s Day concentrated on prominent women, the dismissal of the Deputy Health Minister and gender-based violence.
- Media and the reporting of the budget speech
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The budget speech attracts much media attention every year. This year was no different. When reporting on the budget speech, it is expected that the media ‘translate’ the implications for their readers. In this respect the reports on the speech were not entirely successful.
- The Media and Crime
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Print and broadcast media should that first and foremost provide viewers, listeners and readers with information about the world that is fair, balanced and accurate. It is equally as important however, for the media to challenge and interrogate government performance on fundamental issues including poverty, HIV/AIDS and the safety and security situation. These principles have seemingly been in conflict in recent crime coverage.
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