It is this life, led by almost four million inhabitants, which is easily forgotten. That is why a number of journalism students at the Peninsula Technicon (Bellville) decided to put the issue on the agenda and organize a conference, addressing the question of what impact the media may have on poverty development in their societies.
From 20 to 24 October some twenty students from five different countries (Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa and the Netherlands) met to discuss media professionalisation, cultural differences, the after-effects of the apartheid regime, and the current poverty situation. As it had done the year before, NiZA also sponsored the 2003 edition of this so-called Journalism Week, organized for the second time now by first-year students as a permanent feature of the curriculum.
Human rights violations
Visits to the District Six Museum and Robben Island were scheduled to precede the start of the workshops on media and poverty development. 21-year old Tamlynn Johannes, president of Journalism Week 2003: "The two study visits were a good introduction to the conference. There is an indirect link between human rights violations and poverty."
The District Six Museum tells the story of a multi-racial district declared white-only under apartheid; in the new townships of today’s Cape Flats new houses were built for the coloured and black inhabitants of District Six whose homes had been pulled down. "Robben Island in particular made a deep impression on the students. The reactions of some, whose fathers or other people they knew had been jailed there, were highly emotional," said Tamlynn.
Poverty
Poverty and media: Tamlynn is convinced the combination merited a conference. "Poverty is a huge problem. No less than 50 per cent of South Africans live below the poverty line. The media, however, show hardly any interest in it. Unfortunately, a lot more attention is being given to the rich and glamorous."
On the final day the conference was to produce a number of answers to the question: What role for the media? Unlike other guest speakers such as the leading South African journalist, Zubeida Jaffer, and Minister of Western Cape Marius Fransman (social services and poverty alleviation) neither of whom entered into the issue at any length, Professor Guy Berger of the Department of Journalism of Rhodes University, Grahamstown, gave concrete advice on how the media should cover poverty: "Poverty is public enemy number one; by their reports, reporters can make a difference."
Route map
Berger’s ‘route map’ for journalists: Turn the underprivileged into a source; put poverty on the news agenda on a daily basis; do not report on the poor in negative ways only; and stir up debate on the issue of poverty, especially among politicians. "By presenting the real side of society one can bring about improvements on a large scale – without the journalist lapsing into the position of a development worker." His conclusion:
Press can play a role
Only if you are pro-active
Organize a strategy
Reap the results and reduce poverty.
Reality
Tamlynn was able to look back on a successful week: "A very interesting debate about poverty has taken place between journalists-to-be, each with his or her own cultural background. Besides, I have learned a lot organisation-wise. I have grown as a person." The president admitted, however, that she would go about it in a different way if she was given a chance to organize another week like this, starting earlier and deciding on a more efficient organisation.
Many of her fellow students also think that some things could have been done differently. 23-year old Pentech student, Sam Moodley: "There was too much talking on media impartiality and ethics at the expense of the actual theme of poverty." The real eye-opener, in his view, was the tour of Khayelitsha. "Some people say a tour of the townships is the wrong form of tourism, but I believe it is a good way to get a more realistic picture of society." In the words of one of the guest speakers during the conference, Marius Fransman: "We all know about poverty, but what we know is not enough."
Hanneke van Houwelingen hanneke_vh@hotmail.com and Roelien Merkens roelienmerkens@hotmail.com study journalism at the Fontys Hogeschool voor Journalistiek, Tilburg (Netherlands). Prior to their graduation they will spend three months in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
