The Sunday World, 25 March 2007, p6 carried an article about an increase in younger women–older men relationships, the latter commonly called “sugar daddies.” The manner in which it was covered is something to get glad about.

The report practiced ethical journalism by protecting the identity of the young ladies that it pictured by blurring the face of one of the girls and showing only the back of the other. The social worker was also not identified as this might have repercussions on her clients’ confidential identities.

SundayWorld250307p6_small.jpg

Moreover the report sourced a woman whose daughter reportedly had a son from a relationship with a “sugar daddy.” The report used a pseudonym when identifying the mother, her daughter (16) who is still a minor was not named at all as well as the grandson who is said to be HIV positive. By so doing, the report respected the rights and preserved the dignity of the minors in the story, whilst raising awareness about the risks of HIV.

Furthermore, the report probed the factors that lead young girls into these relationships which gives context to the story.

On the negative side.  The report did not give any feasible solutions on how to deal with the problem.  And the article’s title seems to blame young girls for the HIV and AIDS pandemic, which is not the case.