Resources - Get Mad/Glad

The article published in Sunday Times: “Men, women set fire to girl, 16” (17/10/2010 p.7) is one to be mad about. The story contained graphic details of what happened to the girl. The child also appeared to have been interviewed without a psychologist or social worker being present. Though not identified Sunday Times published quite a lot of detail about where the child lived. Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) believes that the way in which this story was reported was not in the best interests of this child.

This article provided graphic details of the teenager’s wounds and how badly she had been burned, for example it described “her lips still bleeding and raw”. This child had endured a traumatic event which had altered her appearance. The healing process, both physically and emotionally is likely to be difficult and painful. To publish in such detail, the extent of the child’s injuries is insensitive, and fails to recognize her rights to dignity and privacy. The descriptions provided may shock or illicit sympathy from readers, but that is neither a sufficient reason to publish them, nor a fair representation of this young woman who is not merely a victim, but is also a brave survivor.

The police and the family requested that the identity of the child be concealed from the public. This is not only wise, it is required by law as she is allegedly both the victim of and a witness to a crime.

While Sunday Times did not name the child, the article clearly stated where the teenager was from and that she was staying in a safe house. This area in the Western Cape is small and people often know each other. While many in the community may already know what happened to this girl, mentioning the area potentially focused even more local attention on the incident and more critically on the victim. As a result efforts to protect the child’s identity have potentially been undermined.

There is no evidence in the article to suggest that a social worker or psychologist was present when the child was speaking to the media. A child who has been through such a traumatic experience should never speak to the media about what has occurred without such a professional being present.

Dr Elzette Fritz from the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Johannesburg feels very strongly “that people, especially those who are vulnerable, and who have experienced trauma, have the right to the required support in order to prevent further traumatisation when narrating their stories.”

In addition to these sensitivities, Sunday Times should also be aware that publishing comments made by a victim in the aftermath of a crime may jeopardise future court proceedings.

When writing about a child that has experienced survived a traumatic experience it is extremely important that the journalist considers the potential negative impact the story could have on the child, and works to minimise harm.

By Ronell Singh