Media Watch
Tag:
Excellent journalism benefits all in our society
One event and the reporting of an issue demonstrated in the past few weeks that there is excellence in our journalism. Four years ago Discovery Health launched an annual competition for excellence in health journalism, of which I am the convener.Teens report from HIV frontline
Four years ago, 16-year-old Evelyn Mokele was pregnant and had tested positive for HIV. "When I found out, I gave up on everything,"she said.ANALYSIS: Daily Sun’s shock & horror slant leads to re-stigmatisation
The Daily Sun’s prioritisation of HIV-related stories is once again in evidence given last week Friday’s (2 March 2012) blaring front page headline, “AIDS pastor raped me!”. But the tabloid’s penchant for slanting stories towards shock has produced a stigmatising and unproductive HIV-related story.ANALYSIS: Not dead sure about mortality stats
City Press this week looks in to causes of death, offering its readers much-needed insight on how the nation keeps track of its mortalities.
As if to underscore the opening line: “Death certificates may state what we die of, but it’s not as simple as one may think…”, the massive graphic that accompanies the article attempts to display the myriad categories within which death certificates for 2009 were cataloged.
Fish pedicures and HIV: Twisting the fish’s tale
An internationally syndicated article published in this week’s The Star uses unsupported alarmist statements to ‘spice up’ an otherwise mundane press release designed to allay fears of health risks linked to fish pedicures.
The article opens by alleging that the latest beauty treatment craze, where fish are used to nibble dead skin cells from the feet, can spread serious infections like HIV.
But the press release on which the article is based does not even mention HIV in relation to the treatment.
Set the record straight on hate
A SAPA syndicated article on the Zimbabwean government’s refusal to make condoms available to prisoners makes no effort whatsoever to debunk the HIV-related myths and misinformation spilling from the mouth of an overly quoted official.
The poorly constructed article is built almost entirely out of homophobic and ignorant quotes from one deputy commissioner Agrey Machingauta, which the article makes no attempt to correct.
According to the SAPA piece, Zimbabwean officials are refusing to make condoms accessible to prisoners despite their status as a group with a very high risk of HIV infection. Condom distribution to prisoners would be illegal, given the country’s stance on homosexuality.
Staying ‘True’ to HIV coverage
An article in this month’s edition of True Love magazine shows that the media is changing with the times, welcoming and promoting positive images and stories of people living with HIV.
If True Love’s feature article and accompanying photo spread on Criselda Kananda are anything to go by, then gone are the days when HIV-related articles were illustrated with harrowing images of severely wasted people and children talked about AIDS in tragic tones.
Too quick to condemn girls’ use of condoms
A slightly quirky article on schoolgirls keeping their socks up with condoms really shows that journalists need to pull their socks up when it comes to basic reporting.
An African Eye News Service (AENS) article replicated for editions of The New Age (TNA) and the Daily Sun reported that schoolgirls in Mpumalanga have fund a nifty new use for condoms, which they use as garters to keep their school socks from pooling around their ankles.
But it seems that the article only lays out half the story, forgetting to ask a number of important questions.
Fuzzy article says orphan numbers up
Growing concern over the state of South African families is the focus of a rather ‘fuzzy’ article appearing in The Citizen today.
According to the article, South African families are crumbling due to HIV and AIDS, poverty and unemployment, leaving a vast number of orphans and vulnerable children in their wake.
Papers should use “AIDS” carefully
News articles continue to confuse the HIV and AIDS issues by using the wrong terms in the wrong contexts. Besides the fact that this is technically incorrect, HIV terminology should reflect the changing nature of the condition, which has been mediated by interventions.
The headline of an article in yesterday’s edition of the Sunday Times gives us a perfect example of how not to frame an otherwise decent article on HIV.
The article which talks about new research aiming to find out why South African youth are worse affected by HIV than their US counterparts, not only lumps HIV and AIDS together in the now defunct HIV/AIDS combination but the headline also makes the mistake of talking about an ‘AIDS rate.’
