Daily Sun Celebrates young writer
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) is delighted to give a GLAD[1] to Daily Sun for their article, “Stacey, pen and paper same WhatsApp group” (16/03/2023), which highlights a 16-year-old girl achievement by telling her story and interviewing her on publishing her first novel.
The article, written by journalist Ongeziwe Makamba, tells the story of young Stacey Fru, who has published her first novel titled Middleburg East. Stacey is a child activist and founded the Stacey Fru Foundation when she was only nine years old. According to the article she is also the current face of the African Union and International Labor Organization 2021 International Campaign for the Elimination of Child Labor.
The article quoted Stacey, highlighting her love for reading and writing. The young girl was quoted saying the following, “This is my first real novel. I am very proud of this book, and I urge every child my age to read it. It is so interesting. Every time I read it; I find something new”. The journalist also added a beautiful picture of Stacey holding the books she wrote before. The article is accompanied along with a 2020 YouTube video of Stacey when she was awarded the Global Child Prodigy Award.
The journalist must be commended for interviewing the child and giving her the opportunity to share her feelings and perspective. Such an effort by the journalist and Daily Sun could help to increase the number of media stories on children with children’s voices. A recent media monitoring report[2] by MMA on coverage of children revealed that children voices in the media stood at 7% in 2020 which is a decrease when compared to the 12% recorded in 2016.
MMA encourages Daily Sun to continue to access children’s views in media coverage, especially when it is for their best interest. Daily Sun should continue to give children an opportunity to add their voices when their stories are shared in the media so that children can also share their own perspectives.
Written by Jacques Ndong
Edited by Ntombifuthi Kubeka
[1] [1] A GLAD is awarded when a journalist reports on children in a manner that promotes and protects the children’s wellbeing, reflecting their views fairly and with dignity, protecting their privacy when needed and portraying them positively.
[2] https://mediamonitoringafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2020childrensreport.pdf
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