Media and Children: Opportunities and Responsibilities

State of children worldwide especially in Africa, greater voice to children through media, their aspirations and concerns

Johannesburg, South Africa, From 23 to 28 March 2007

1. Introduction

The Refresher programme was conceived and organised in conjunction with the Fifth World Summit of Media for Children. It was for the first time. The refresher event proposed a more detailed theme so that journalists and media experts can consider the importance of the whole issue and their big responsibilities and obligations.

As we have been dealing with this very important issue of children in our various programmes and after invitations from organisers and partners of the world summit, it was highly useful for all to realise this joint-event.

The situation of children worldwide especially in Africa have made a greater urgency to deal with this issue by free and independent journalists who care for human and natural welfare worldwide by giving respect to children.

It is all the more important for journalists and all media experts who care for solid values, convictions and freedom to think and analyse, instead of simply transmitting information from institutions, governments and their structures.

When it comes to children, there is a great need that journalists take the lead to make independent assessment of children’s situation, and propose actions on all levels of the society.

And therefore the context in which the event was organised intended to cover all the major issues regarding children and the media.

2. Major Findings

Keynotes and workshops helped participants to have a better grasp of the theme. Some keynote speakers from media entertainment companies like Walt Disney saw media also as an opportunity for business.

Both the children and adults at the event agreed that media has to bring more uplifting and enhancing stories and consider that children themselves are the media. Children have to be at the forefront of all initiatives and future plans especially when South Africa is heading to confront new challenges.

Responding to questions whether South Africa will follow the Zimbabwean way, several government high ranking officials and resource persons said that South Africans have not asked that question loudly or seriously: South Africa can not hide its realities, it has to face them one way or other and it can be a different way than Zimbabwe. Nelson Mandela did a lot, but now we have to face the truth: “Who owns South Africa and what it means for our children.”

Media is supposed to be a mirror and reflect the reality, but as a few rich people own the South African Media like the international media; they easily distort images, views, opinions and polls according to their wishes.

If the mainstream media do not belong to people and hence the children and young people have no access to media as owners, it would be impossible to get the young generation to actively participate in building peace and democracy.

In today’s world, very often the media and other enterprises use children and teenagers to show that they are with and for young people. Many children’s programmes were presented at the summit but all of them were carefully directed to maintain the status quo. This clearly shows that children who were born free are already made toys at the hands of powerful.

Therefore the struggle of the marginalised majority is still far away from attaining its goals. The majority poor has no access to the modern world’s tribunes and forums and the minority rich continues to take decisions for them, as they grab more of their resources.

By saying that all is ok in new South Africa is avoiding the real issues. In the filed of the media, public televisions and radios are extremely important, as private one are interested in business and promoting sectarian ideologies.

Public broadcasters can justly give preference to local programmes and 95 per cent of the children appreciate this especially when they are seriously involved in producing them. Children by nature are not violent, but many media productions especially from abroad do force them to violence. Therefore media regulators have a great role of setting up the norms for media productions.

There is another type of media production - mostly entertainment productions like Walt Disney - that forces people to live in imaginary worlds. This is like using football and sports to divert attention of the people especially young people from the main issues.

It is necessary that young people be initiated at an early age to the realities of their society, nation and then world so that they can be better prepared to take over later on. And the media is the right place for them to get to know, debate, enrich and propose.

In a more and more capitalised world and with the fast disappearance of social structures and initiatives for the whole society; young people need to fully understand the foundations of ethics, respect and the fundamental rights such as equality.

Media is also the tribune for young people to discuss and debate on healthy food, illnesses such as obesity, AIDS, sex, imbalance in world power, colossal market forces, health, education and other issues that must be at the core of young people’s concerns.

For many young people and the resource persons, peace has some fundamental pre-requisites. The most important of them are: welfare, calm, fulfilment and spirituality. In order to attain peace capitalism is not a solution, and liberalism being the younger brother of capitalism will even force people to injustice and hence to violence.

The participants expressed mixed views about the achievements Nelson Mandela. As he brought political freedom to South Africa, he gave into colonialism and domination in many areas. Probably there was no other way. Otherwise South Africans would have continued fighting like in Israel and Palestine. Nelson Mandela also managed to get the colonisers accept one-person-one-vote policy. This is the greatest achievement of South Africa.; it is the first foundation stone for democracy.

The event recommended all those who are concerned to work together with media enterprises to develop new strategies to ensure children's participation in the media, and uphold the fundamental principles of ethics and objective coverage.

3. Challenges

The next world summit is planned in Sweden in the year 2010. The major challenges in these years are: 1. Children’s access to quality media productions. 2. Ethics that would help bring better justice, peace and welfare. 3. Ownership of the media for just and objective reporting. 4. Access of media to all irrespective of income and other differences.