Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) gives a MAD[1] to Sowetan, The Star and Daily Sun for all failing to protect the identity of a child who, despite having celebrity parents, is a witness in a case of domestic violence. This commentary analyses three articles, which all relay the story of the same case: ...
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) gives a MAD[1] to IOL for flouting the Maintenance Act by indirectly identifying the children involved through their parents. “Dads still dodge maintenance” (IOL, 22/07/2018) reports on parents who fail to pay child maintenance. The s...
Substance abuse is a serious problem that South Africa is battling with. For the reason that the challenge has huge implications for many children in South Africa as it potentially contributes to family dysfunctions among other social problems, every sector of society especially the media needs to c...
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) frowns upon media houses that fail to protect identities of children who have witnessed and/or are victims of abuse as not doing so potentially exposes the children to harm. It is against this background that MMA gives to Saturday Star a MAD[1] for publishing an article...
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) gives a MAD[1] to Sowetan for indirectly identifying a child allegedly at the receiving hand of discrimination from her school because of her hairstyle. “Mom, school in hair battle“ (Sowetan, 24/01/2018, p.8) reports on a 13-year-old child in Soweto who was told by ...
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) gives a MAD[1] to The Post for its article published on the IOL website in which a sexually assaulted child was made to relive a traumatic experience through an interview. The article titled “Boy, 15, ‘drugged and abused’” (03/12/2017) reports on a 15-year-old...
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) always urges media to adequately protect the identities of child victims and/or witnesses of abuse when it is not in their best interests to be identified. The media, being a powerful tool that plays an important and influential role in society, has the responsibility...
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) is concerned with the lack of caution displayed by The New Age in “Mum tells of crèche ‘abuse’” (07/11/2017, p.3) which has been selected for a MAD[1] for failing to sufficiently protect the identity of an abused child. The story reports on a teacher who all...
For some, September was a month to make merry as the spring season bloomed across the country while for others, news particularly those reporting on children were a scary reflection of how media tends to deal insensitively with victims of and/or witnesses to crime. Such was the case with Sowetan and...