challenge of crime reporting in the country, highlighting distortions and omissions in the media's approach to dealing with this crucial issue. Much of their criticism pertains to things media can also be criticised for more generally, partly because journalism operates according to certain key 'news values' (probably the simplest way of defining a news is the old adage that when a dog bites a man its not news, but when a man bites a dog, well you've at least got a funny feature for the bottom of your front page). Some of the symptoms mentioned are: an event-driven journalism that neglects context or covers dramatic incidents but does not follow through with a long-term view; reporting focuses on crimes involving prominent or famous people; reporting is based on hearsay; statistics are misinterpreted. Read the ISS report here. pic: bbc.co.uk
Showing posts with label South African media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South African media. Show all posts
Monday, 11 February 2008
The challenges of crime reporting
The South African Institute for Security Studies has highlighted the 
challenge of crime reporting in the country, highlighting distortions and omissions in the media's approach to dealing with this crucial issue. Much of their criticism pertains to things media can also be criticised for more generally, partly because journalism operates according to certain key 'news values' (probably the simplest way of defining a news is the old adage that when a dog bites a man its not news, but when a man bites a dog, well you've at least got a funny feature for the bottom of your front page). Some of the symptoms mentioned are: an event-driven journalism that neglects context or covers dramatic incidents but does not follow through with a long-term view; reporting focuses on crimes involving prominent or famous people; reporting is based on hearsay; statistics are misinterpreted. Read the ISS report here. pic: bbc.co.uk
challenge of crime reporting in the country, highlighting distortions and omissions in the media's approach to dealing with this crucial issue. Much of their criticism pertains to things media can also be criticised for more generally, partly because journalism operates according to certain key 'news values' (probably the simplest way of defining a news is the old adage that when a dog bites a man its not news, but when a man bites a dog, well you've at least got a funny feature for the bottom of your front page). Some of the symptoms mentioned are: an event-driven journalism that neglects context or covers dramatic incidents but does not follow through with a long-term view; reporting focuses on crimes involving prominent or famous people; reporting is based on hearsay; statistics are misinterpreted. Read the ISS report here. pic: bbc.co.uk
Friday, 2 November 2007
Media images of Aids in South Africa
Why, when the HIV/Aids pandemic in South Africa is among the worst in the world, does the South African media pay such little attention to it? According to a study by Media Tenor from 2004-2005, the South African media devoted less than one percent of its coverage to the pandemic. In an article published in the latest African Studies Quarterly (available free online), Sean Jacobs and Krista Johnson put it down to a range of reasons relating to the way the South African media is structured political-economically as well as the journalistic conventions and routines it operates within. The result of the confluence of these structural and journalistic factors was a trivialisation of HIV/Aids and a sensational approach to the conflicts between government and social movements.
The media's poor record in this regard, the authors argue, is part of the democratic deficit in the country. For a media industry that is very vocal about its 'independence' and 'freedom', their efforts in response to the tragic proportions that HIV/Aids have taken in the country have just not been good enough.
The media's poor record in this regard, the authors argue, is part of the democratic deficit in the country. For a media industry that is very vocal about its 'independence' and 'freedom', their efforts in response to the tragic proportions that HIV/Aids have taken in the country have just not been good enough.
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