Cameroonian award-winning journalist and gender advocate, Commy Mussa and Veteran journalist and human rights activist have offered tips and suggestions on how to ethically report about minors and appropriately report court proceedings.
Mussa: Don’t endanger, stigmatize children
In Cameroon bloggers, NGOs, journalists do an amazing job at drawing our attention to issues that need our concern & intervention.
I wish they/we were more intentional about how they share information about minors – child safeguarding & protection.
A minor is raped, a distress call is made online with the minor’s picture age, etc; 16-year-old sisters get pregnant, their pictures + personal details are all over the internet. A minor commits suicide all her pics n videos trend – by the way, the law in Cameroon prohibits the publication of such details especially for a minor who has committed suicide. The examples abound & I could go on and on.
My exhortation to bloggers, local organizations & journalists is a reminder that children have a right to protection and privacy.
Tell your stories; tell them right.
When involving children in controversial stories, journalists and the media must have the permission and consent of their parents or guardians.
There are ways/tools to protect minors in your reports. Explore the different options.
Also, the publications must not further endanger and stigmatize the children.
Akinola: Helloooo journalists….
“Abuja court acquits Kemi Adeosun for evading NYSC Service” – That was one headline l just read. Very wrong. You only acquit someone who faced a criminal trial. This was a civil suit. Adeosun was not docked, so acquittal in that headline was wrong.
In the same way a lot of sub-editors use “fine” instead of “damages” for civil matters in some of their headlines. And sometimes when courts award “costs”, they say “court fined cyz” in civil matters. Courts don’t award “fines” in civil matters.
