|
|
Children, youth and the media
|
 |
|
|
|
Children and
children’s rights are under-represented in the media. When children do feature
in the news they are most often represented as victims. Children’s rights to
privacy and dignity are often violated within the media, which subjects them to
secondary trauma, and often, contravenes human rights laws. The MMP has
included a children’s monitoring element as part of the ECM project, and
advocates a child-centred approach to news reporting. This means that the best
interests of the child are paramount.
Journalists
seeking information on how to protect children’s rights in their reporting, visit the
Empowering Children and the Media website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources for children
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Category |
No. of Articles |
No. of Views |
Syndication |
Options |
|
|
|
|
|
Latest Children's reports
|
|
|
| Media and the 16 Days Campaign 2006 by MMP | The coverage of The 16 Days Campaign in Gauteng media coverage, including e-tv and SABC 3 prime time news, was reasonable good in most aspects. Some improvements could be made in terms of reporting on woman and child abuse.
The 2006 monitoring revealed:
| | Media wise - children make the difference by MMP |  The comprehensive research study proposed by the MMP, the first of its kind in South Africa, aimed to address the representation of children and children’s rights in the news media. The ECM project took place over a three-month period in 2003. A group of monitors reviewed print, radio and television media to identify trends in the portrayal of children in the news. In an exciting and innovative research approach, the MMP also sought the active participation of children, in order to understand their views and perceptions of children’s representation in the media. The MMP, together with Clacherty & Associates, an organisation that specialises in participatory work with children, co-developed the content and methodology of the participatory workshops. Clacherty & Associates facilitated the workshops, which were run with the children. As part of the process, the children engaged in a parallel monitoring project where they monitored the media for a two-week period. This was done so that the children could express their views directly and see for themselves how they are represented by the media. | | The Children's Media Mentoring Project (CMMP) Report by MMP | 
The Media Monitoring Project pioneered a best practice
approach to working with children as monitors and with journalists as mentors
in a project called the Children’s Media Mentoring Project. MMP worked together
with the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) and Agência de
Notícas dos Direitos da Infância (ANDI: a Brazilian news agency focused on
children’s rights). This report describes the project activities and looks at The
Star newspaper as a case study on the effectiveness of the MMP's approach. This file is 2MBs.
| | Reporting on Children in the Context of HIV/AIDS: A Journalist's Resource by admin |  In the context of widespread HIV/AIDS and poverty, this booklet provides reference information about children affected by HIV/AIDS and related policy issues, which need urgent and in-depth coverage by the media. With the imperative to “put children first”,this booklet challenges some of the limitations and misleading messages in current coverage, and offers a resource list to help media with the task of shaping an appropriate national response to children affected by the epidemic.
| | Children: Dying to Make the News by MMP | The overall aim and objective of Empowering Children and Media project is to
analyse the representation of children and children’s rights in the South African
news media. This report serves as a baseline study that will enable the development of
policies and strategies to address strengths and weaknesses in the coverage of
children, as well as further the development of a human rights culture in the media,
through training and advocacy initiatives.
| | A Resource Kit for Journalists: Children's Media Mentoring Project by admin |  This resource kit provides journalists with the necessary information to enable children’s voices to become a part of daily media coverage, without violating children’s rights, South African laws, or international norms and standards. The resource kit is designed to allow journalists and editors easy access to guidelines and laws during the production of news. We hope that you will use this resource, and the valuable information contained within it, to help to bring more children’s voices into the South African media, in positive ways, which do not harm children.
| | What Children Want: Children’s choices in programming by admin | The Media Monitoring Project (MMP)’s research with
children and media challenges a number of preconceived ideas about children’s
programming, how it is understood, and how it should be regulated. The study
aimed to give practical realisation to children’s right to participate in all
matters that affect them, as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the
Child. The research was conducted as part of the MMP’s submission on the draft
licence conditions of the SABC, and was supported by Save the Children Sweden. The
findings have potentially far-reaching implications for ICASA, in line with the
best interests of the child.
| | All Sides of the Story by MMP |  The media plays an important role in protecting and promoting children’s rights, and in many
instances, in exposing their abuse and their triumphs.
The South African Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, including freedom of the press
and other media, and access to information. These rights do not stand alone, however. The right
to privacy, dignity, and specific rights protecting children are also constitutionally guaranteed.
Satisfying the public’s right to hear stories about and affecting children, while at the same time
respecting children’s rights to privacy and dignity, is a delicate and difficult balancing act.
Journalists reporting on children are confronted with ethical dilemmas of an extraordinarily
complex and diverse nature. This guide reflects these difficulties whilst providing journalists with a resource to deal with them.
|
|
|
|
|
Latest Childrens Articles
|
|
|
| Seeing dead people: Exploring visuals of dead bodies in the media by MMP | Violent events are an every day feature for the media in South Africa. However, media can report on these events in various ways. The Media Monitoring Project explores ethical considerations which should guide the use visuals to report on horrific events. In particular, this update will be looking at visuals used of dead bodies. Alternative representations of the dead are then suggested.
| | MMP a friend of the court by MMP | The Media Monitoring Project is now a friend of the court in the Sunday Times’ application to the Constitutional Court for an order declaring that section 12 violates the constitution.
Read the full story by Business Day
| | Lazy newsgathering distorted murder news by MMP | As a reader of Daily Sun newspaper, you will very possibly have a different understanding of what recently happened in Zandspruit, Honeydew than if you were a reader of The Star. The angle these two newspapers took on the story of the 7-year old girl who was found dead on the 10t March 2008 allow for an interesting comparison. The Star focused on the accusations that the police failed to act on several phone calls from the family to report the missing girl. Daily Sun however did not mention this at all and limited its reporting to describing the incident, making the reaction of people to the police completely unfathomable. These stories gives a clear example of the necessity of balanced reporting. | | Wailing women on e-tv news by MMP | In the month of August, Women’s Month, the Media Monitoring Project (MMP) monitored the media with a specific focus on the portrayal of women. This is part of MMP’s work as an independent media watchdog, fundamentally concerned with promoting Human Rights in the media. During the monitoring of the news bulletins it appeared the women were often shown crying to add drama to the various stories. | | Media Coverage of Children during Youth Month by MMP | Considering Youth Month provides ample opportunity to highlight issues around children, the Media Monitoring Project (MMP) wished to assess whether this was happening in South African media and if the coverage either violated or enhanced human rights of the children concerned. | | The ethics of 16 Days Media coverage by MMP | During 2006 the Media Monitoring Project analysed coverage of the 16 days campaign to examine whether media upheld generally accepted media ethical principles. The findings show that, in covering the Campaign stories, the media most commonly violates the principle to do no harm, frequently by identifying the victim and exposing them to potential further abuse and victimisation.
| | New publications bill still a threat to media freedom by MMP | The Media Monitoring Project (MMP) has been petitioning government to change the proposed Film and Publications Amendment Bill. While it is crucial to protect the rights of children, the MMP argues that the Bill has negative implications for media freedom in South Africa. Amongst other things, it is trying to get the country's newspaper's to self-regulate. Chakula spoke to William Bird, the Director of the MMP, and Sandra Roberts, a Project Co-ordinator at the organisation.
| | Children in Youth Month by MMP | Considering Youth Month provides ample opportunity to highlight issues around children, the Media Monitoring Project (MMP) wished to assess whether this was happening in South African media and if the coverage either violated or enhanced human rights of the children concerned.
| | Reporting Children in the Media by MMP | The MMP and Wits are running a course for again in 2008 on children and the media. Previously, MMP partnered the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism to conduct the course. Read how it went.
With each child’s voice that is heard in the media, there is a strong possibility that not only that child will become a reader or viewer, but also that that child’s parents, caregivers, friends and relations will also become readers or viewers. | | Complaint against Daily Voice resolved by MMP | The Media Monitoring Project filed a complaint against the Daily Voice about the coverage of children in a child pornography feature. We also highlighted this case of bad coverage and launched a petition against it. The Daily Voice approached MMP for a settlement to the complaint. The settlement compels the Daily Voice to:
-
Ensure that the children get counseling,
-
Submit its protocol on publication relating to children to the MMP and to Child Line for contributions,
-
Participate in the course for journalists, “Reporting Children in the Media” presented by MMP at Wits University.
The agreement is presented here as it was sent to the Press Ombudsman.
|
|
|
|
Please sign up to receive MMP's e-newletter..
|
|
This website is best viewed on Internet Explorer 7
|
|
|