The HeraldLIVE continues to illuminate children’s matters in the media
For upholding the standards of ethical news reporting as it pertains to children’s stories, Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) bestows the HeraldLIVE with a GLAD[1] for the story titled, “Paterson High School boffin off to Bali” (05/04/2024) by Roslyn Baatjies, wherein the reporter extensively accesses children in a story that directly concerns them.
The news report relays the story of Rikyle Jordaan, a budding science student and technologist whose inquisitive nature and love for the subject has propelled him to national acclaim. A consistent “A” student and school prefect whose science project earned him recognition at a national science fair, Rikyle is now headed to Indonesia to represent South Africa on the international stage.
The article quotes Rikyle extensively and details the circumstance leading up to his rise and continued success as a scholar. A beautiful image of Rikyle displaying his work of ingenuity accompanies the article.
In congruence with spirit encapsulated in section 28(2) of the Bill of Rights[2], the articles places the child’s best interests at the centre of the story and ensures that the views of the child are adequately captured and given due consideration as per the statutes in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)[3].
In the backdrop of the recent report analysing the trends around news reports on children in the South African media[4], which found that only 6% of all news stories featured/mentioned children. MMA celebrates every news report that casts a positive spotlight on children’s matters, thereby advancing their rights and placing them at the centre of public discourse.
As South Africa marks 30 years in the democratic dispensation, it is imperative that journalists and media entities continue to advance the ideals of constitutionalism by promoting inclusivity & advancing the human rights of all members of society; particularly of marginalized groups such as children.
MMA commends the HeraldLIVE for this article and hopes that it will continue to report on children’s stories in such an uplifting fashion that serves thrusts them into the heart of public discourse.
Written by Tumelo Hlaka
Edited by Ntombifuthi Kubeka