MEDIA RIGHTING WRONGS AGAINST CHILD RIGHTS THE WRONG WAY

Coverage of children in the media warrants utmost of sensitivity. Their vulnerabilities should not be amplified, while seeking to highlight their plight. That's why it was almost absurd for a Kenyan broadcast station, to deem it fit to have a news item of children demonstrating against a 'rape' case. It's a case of the media righting wrongs against child rights the wrong way.

It's first of all an indictment of a society that cannot protect its own children, leaving the little helpless ones at the mercy of beastly miscreants, who rob them of their innocence, in the vilest of conceivable ill-manner.

The intention of the media may be noble, in covering such debased behaviour by adults, preying on defenceless tots. But even so, care must be taken not to worsen a bad situation.

Aside from the need to get (written) consent from parents or legal guardians, before filming and broadcasting the protest, it's highly likely the children were prompted by adults to participate in a public demonstration.

And the fact that they were demonstrating against sexual assault, means there is a chance this sensitive matter was discussed either amongst the children or with grown-ups.

Such a negative context is surely not the way to impart sexual education to post-toddlers and pre-teens, via the media.

The TV station erred in opting to broadcast the story, without even a care about concealing the identities of the demonstrating children.

Ethics should always apply in coverage of children in the press, especially because their right to privacy is absolute.

Abso-godam-lutely! (sorry).

TRAGEDY OF MEDIA AGGRAVATING TRAUMA OF CHILD VICTIMS

Children. Media. This combination presents a challenging proposition to journalists. Thrown in trauma and matters get really dicey. That is why one news reporter was recently navigating through very choppy waters, when she elected to tell the Tana River tragedy from the perspective of child victims.



Whereas thinking out of the box is often something that should be applauded, using minors to depict a very complex web of deadly violence was, to some extent, pushing the barriers towards intolerable territory.

One kid was actually being quoted saying something close to, 'then they started killing each other.' How, pray tell, is a child expected to accurately process such mentally disturbing scenarios, before even relaying the same to a journalist?

This is where I think, the best interests of the children caught up in the Tana River violence, override whatever novel and noble intentions of the news reporter.

And because children enjoy absolute privacy, then it is in their interest that their identity is protected and their trauma is not exacerbated by undue media exposure, which essentially makes them relive their horrifying experience.

After the news crews pack up and go, these kids have to continue with their life, the misery notwithstanding, and it's really unfair to only look at them as subjects of a good TV report.