Focus On Youth, Media Urged

This article outlines the discussion at a 3-day regional seminar on media coverage of children's rights. Held in Nairobi, Kenya, the event was organised by the International Federation of Journalists and the European Union. Participants, who hailed from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia described media coverage of children's issues as "poor and insufficient" and "erratic and superficial". They explained this trend as follows: "'The established Press believes children's stories do not sell unless they are sensational. They only get space if political and economic news items are scarce.' When stories are considered gripping enough to warrant coverage, they focus on child abuse, pornography, and exploitation. One media representative responded by saying, "Readers will only look at stories on children if they have a shock-value." Some journalists are ignorant; others are interested and informed but do not want to take the time to research stories that will likely never be printed. Many of these journalists, who are paid per story, fear that they will no longer find work unless they produce stories that their editors think the public wants to read: political news. Other participants urged scholarships for relevant training so that complex children's concerns can be covered appropriately.

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