Resources - Get Mad/Glad

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.

In “Primary school soccer in new discovery” (15/08/09, p. 19), the chairman of Johannesburg Primary Schools soccer is accessed, but the children are not. If the children were accessed, they would have been able to say how they felt about the sport and how it has made a difference in their lives. This would not only add value and interest to the story, but would also protect and promote children’s rights to express their opinions.

Significantly, another article by the same reporter, which appears on the same page, “Versveld twins rising stars of golf”, sponsored by Momentum, pictures and accesses the boys who are the subject of the article. The article gives good background on how the twins started playing golf, and how they feel about their coach, golf and the tournament in general. This is an example of an excellent story about children where children are named, pictured and given the opportunity to speak for themselves.

Media Monitoring Africa commends Saturday Star for featuring children’s stories and publishing their photographs. However, wherever possible, such stories should include the views and experiences of children.

Children have a right to express their opinion and have that opinion taken into account in matters affecting them, and the right to freedom of expression¹. This places responsibilities on all members of society, including the media, to respect and facilitate these rights.

Too often, children’s views and opinions are disregarded by the media, even where stories are about them. Media Monitoring Africa hopes to hear more children’s voices in Saturday Star and to see more articles like “Versveld twins rising stars of golf”.

-Ronell Naidoo and Anna Lerner

Footnotes

¹See Articles 12 and 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which South Africa is a signatory to.

Read the response from Theo Gurran, the reporter:

Good day.

Thank you for this opportunity.

This is the first time in some 15 years of reporting on school sport activities that anyone has made this sort of comment. The points are well taken.

Of course, I agree that children should be allowed to speak for themselves and that it would, in school sport reporting be ideal to reflect their view instead of the administrators or coaches.

My “Momentum Moment” columns are designed to reflect the views of the young sportswomen and men featured and I always endeavor to interview them in person and to reflect their views.

When it comes to reportage on matches and tournaments I am, I’m afraid subject to the time and resources limitations of most newsrooms these days and am forced to be a compiler of information gleaned from a number of sources. The adults involved in school sport are more accessible so, regrettably, it’s their views that are generally reported.

That’s not ideal, I know, but at least the activities of the young sportspeople get some recognition.

I will try harder.

-Theo Garrun

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