Resources - Get Mad/Glad

The media is a powerful source of information for people in South Africa. As such, when three weekend newspapers, namely, City Press, Sunday Times and The Sunday Independent, publish articles on the same day on important issues concerning children, one has reason to be glad.

The City Press article, “Birds and bees make parents squirm” (25/10/2009, p. 37) by Mokgadi Seabi, emphasises the importance of sex education for children. The Sunday Independent article, “Schoolyard drug lords on the rise” (25/10/2009, p. 3) by Zara Nicholson, highlights drug dealing problems in schools. The Sunday Times article, “Boys risk lives for bigger muscles” (25/10/2009, p. 8) by Suthentira Govender, exposes steroid abuse among teenage boys in the context of anxieties around body image. 

The City Press article is written against the backdrop of the United Kingdom government’s announcement that children as young as five will receive sex and relationship education lessons, in an attempt to cut down on teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. 

Deriving from a book titled “Easy answers to Awkward Questions”, the article states that the book is not just about sex education but also teaches children about their rights, about right and wrong, and about what constitutes acceptable behaviour. 

The article warns that if parents do not talk to their children about sex, the children may learn about it in a sensational and “shocking” way, especially during this era of increased access to information through the internet.

By providing tips to parents on how best to talk about sex with their children and on how to deal with any fears they might have about their children engaging in sexual activity, the article educates parents on how sex education may help reduce teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Enabling parents to talk to their children about sex may allow children to learn more about sexuality and their rights at an early stage and to identify sexual violations. 

City Press may have missed a good opportunity to include the voices of children in the article. Hearing the views, experiences and fears of children could have provided further insight into the subject, and shown recognition of children’s rights to express their opinions and have these taken into account in matters concerning them. 

The Sunday Independent article brings attention to the problem of drug dealing at Western Cape schools. Although the article relies mainly on information provided by the police, it is commended for providing statistics showing the extent of the drug dealing problem.

It also raises a crucial point that in some cases children can become hooked after dealers give them drugs for free, and as pay back, can become involved as drug dealers. Highlighting this risk may help parents support their children to make more informed choices regarding drug use. 

The article also makes reference to the Education Law Amendment; Criminal Procedure; Drugs and Drug Trafficking; and Firearms Control Acts which allow principals or delegated officials and police (on reasonable suspicion) to search school premises or a person on the premises without a warrant. Making reference to such laws is commendable as it informs and educates readers of their rights. 

In addition to informing and educating readers, The Sunday Independent is applauded for protecting the identity of a pupil who highlighted that most police searches happen when the pupils have already sold or hidden the drugs. Concealing the pupil’s identity, gender and the school s/he attends prevents the pupil from being victimised by the drug dealers.

The Sunday Times article focuses on body image and steroid misuse. It is based on research into how masculinity influences the drive for muscular bodies through steroid abuse, supplement consumption and over-exercising among teenage boys. 

It highlights some of the reasons teenage boys take supplements and steroids, including the insatiable quest to be strong and pressure from coaches who rave about how muscular attributes make bigger, stronger and better players. 

The article accesses a professor in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine who states that the supplements industry capitalises on the insecurities of children who want quick fixes. Recording such a sentiment is important as it may help challenge marketing strategies that encourage children to use supplements and steroids by playing on their insecurities.

The article also protects the identities of the four teenagers who took part in the study and responded to questions posed by the journalist. Although this was at the request of the researcher, protecting their identities is laudable as it prevents further teasing.

Sunday Times, City Press and The Sunday Independent are to be commended for giving prominence to issues that affect children. Media Monitoring Africa looks forward to more coverage of this kind. 

-Wellington Radu

Note: All newspapers were given the opportunity to respond by email. 

Response from Sunday Times reporter, Suthentira Govender:

The Sunday Times has always been sensitive to children’s rights and strives to perpetuate this through the stories we write. 

The nomination is certainly in a feather in our cap.

This particular story was an eye-opener in that we were given rare insight into the challenges teenage boys face when it comes to issues of masculinity and body image. I found through my gathering of information that the struggle with body image was not unique to girls, but boys too were susceptible to media influence of attaining the body beautiful. 

In addition I had to respect the request of the four boys not to talk to me directly, but who were rather comfortable with the researcher posing my questions to them, with the assurance that their identities would not be revealed. 

Thanks.

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