Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) is delighted to award a GLAD[1] to Daily Sun for publishing seven stories over a two-week period in which children’s voices were actively sought and key child-related issues were raised.

The first three stories each share different events involving children and provide a platform for the children to share their views and experiences. The first, “Officer Dineo (6) catches her suspects” (03/05/2018, p.3), tells the story of a six-year-old with leukaemia who aspires to be a policewoman one day. With the help of the Reach for a Dream Foundation, she spent a day with the Brooklyn Police department in Pretoria where she was kitted out in a full uniform and took part in a staged hijacking. She even helped the team apprehend the “suspects”. The story accesses young Dineo about her dreams and it includes a charming photograph of her alongside her colleagues for the day.

The second story, “For the love of the game!” (25/04/2018, p.19), focuses on Simon Stars, a soccer training team for both boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 19. The team was started by Simon Chokoe in Atteridgeville and the article shares how Chokoe provides children with an alternative option to the lifestyle of drugs, alcohol and crime that they are exposed to in their communities. The story accesses a representative from both teams and they each share how Simon Stars has changed their lives for the better.

The third story, “It’s game on for young ones” (26/04/2018, p.21), tells of a sports day for children between the ages of three and five held at Mamelodi West sports grounds. While the article accesses an official from Mamelodi Child Welfare, Anastacia Mosehla, it more importantly sought out the voice of one of the children who participated in the event, three-year-old Amogelang Mahlangu who spoke about her experiences of the day and revealed how much she likes to run. “I run a lot at home and I was happy we ran today. We should run more often at crèche because I don’t like to sleep,” she was quoted saying.

The second set of stories were included in this week’s GLAD as they report on a wide range of critical child-centred issues that are generally neglected in mainstream media discourse. “Social media ills” (03/05/2018, p. 21) for instance covers the issues of smartphone use and online safety, specifically as they relate to children. The article, while brief, also provides particular tips for parents on how to minimise some online risks.

The second story, “Special care for cerebral palsy” (23/04/2018, p.14), recounts the experiences of Keamogetswe Moatshe, a ten-year-old living with athetoid cerebral palsy. The article describes some of the physical therapies he needs but importantly also speaks of the ways in which his mother encourages his sense of agency, “One important thing is to understand how he communicates, to know what he says and make sure he also takes part in decision making…” the mother says.

The final two articles bring to light two school infrastructure-related stories that have a direct bearing on the children who attend those schools. “School revamp on hold” (04/05/2018, p.8) reports on how promises of construction at dilapidated Radira Secondary School in Ga-Monyebodi Village, Limpopo have been halted indefinitely as the appointed contractor was no longer working for Limpopo Department of Education. As a result, the children at the school are compelled to use a rundown mobile classroom. In a different province, “Fury over izinyoka at school” (04/05/2018, p.8) reports on the ongoing water and electricity crisis plaguing Guzana Secondary School in KwaDukuza, KwaZulu Natal. In this case, the children are sometimes sent home early because of the lack of water and there are fears that they may get injured, or worse, given the illegal electricity connections.

The combination of stories above reflects the concerted efforts that the People’s Paper has taken to improve children’s participation in its stories. The fact that one of the journalists actively sought out the thoughts and views of a three-year-old is a terrific example of this. Here, the inclusion of young voices not only gives the opportunity for children to be portrayed as individuals with agency, ideas and opinions, but it also shows a side to life and its experiences that we might not otherwise see. 

Importantly, too, not only do the articles above demonstrate deliberate steps to access children in a variety of contexts and situations, they also address an incredible range of issues that affect children, from social media safety to health conditions and sports. Recent research by MMA shows that stories about children remain under-reported by mainstream media in South Africa[2]. The stories provided here therefore actively challenge such poor coverage and contribute to South Africa’s efforts as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,[3] which seeks to promote the participation and inclusion of children across sectors, including the media.

While we applaud the massive steps that Daily Sun has taken to consistently report on children and their experiences, an opportunity to access children’s voices was missed in the following stories: “Learn Karate, reap rewards!” (25/04/2018, p. 18), “Police donate shoes to pupils” (30/04/2018, p. 18), “Treasury of books makes school fun!” (03/05/2018, p. 20) and “Madzunya wants kids to stay ahead” (04/05/2018, p. 13).

Regardless of the missed opportunities, congratulations again to Daily Sun! We look forward to seeing how you continue to push boundaries and break new ground in the child-centred approach of your coverage.

By Sarah Findlay    

[1] A GLAD refers to an article where the rights and welfare of children have been promoted.

[2] Read the research here: http://54.217.43.239/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Childrensreport2016web.pdf

[3] http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx