Children and HIV – Media Watch
ANALYSIS: Bona article doesn’t cut it
By framing neonatal circumcision purely as a matter of parents’ beliefs, Bona magazine fails to properly inform its readers of the HIV-prevention benefits that this procedure offers.
ANALYSIS: Bonitas bungles breast is best
A Bonitas sponsored article in last week’s Mail&Guardian appears to give a round-up of the pros and cons that dominate debates on infant-feeding in South Africa, following big changes in government policy last year (including the withdrawal of free infant formula). But on closer examination its engagement with the issue is superficial at best.
A harmful cocktail: Alcohol and HIV
Over the past few weeks, media coverage has gravitated towards the potential follies of youth. This is unsurprising given that a new year means new beginnings for many young people still struggling to negotiate the dawn of adult independence.
However not all of this coverage has engaged with HIV where it could have.
The New Age and the Daily Sun highlighted HIV as it related to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Health MEC’s efforts at establishing a campaign to educate young women on the dangers of cross-generational sex or ‘sugar daddies’.
But Sunday’s (22 January) City Press featured a full page dedicated to the health risks of alcohol abuse among youngsters which was devoid of any mention of HIV.
A (sensitive) picture is worth a thousand words
The New Age has managed to capture the plight of a group of HIV-positive children and give the story maximum impact through the accompanying photograph, without putting the already vulnerable children at risk of HIV-related stigma.The Star gets thumbs-up for sensitive photography
On Monday this week The Star ran a feature on orphans and adoption. The article created awareness of the new National Adoption Coalition and its informative website that debunks the adoption process for South Africans. We were particularly impressed by the sensitive, non-identifying photos.
It is no trade secret that using images of children or babies in news stories has helped to drive many an issue home. In South Africa pictures of infants have punctuated coverage of the xenophobic outbreaks, have been used to help to draw attention to the urgency of HIV care and treatment and have served as a painful reminder that our society is fraught with inequality and plagued by sexual violence.
Whilst this kind of imagery certainly is effective, using children as exclamation marks in the news presents a minefield of ethical challenges.
