Prime
Has Daily Monitor cast a shadow over the elderly?
John Charles Orach, who chairs the National Network for Older Persons of Uganda, has a bone to pick with the media in general and Daily Monitor in particular with regard to coverage of older persons. His concern is below. I shall respond to him but also share the wider NMG editorial policy guidelines on disadvantaged groups, notably women and youth.
Orach: “In my experience, I find that vulnerable older persons (OPs) and the issues affecting them attract and receive very little attention and reaction from Ugandan society, and the media, except in sensational circumstances such as when OPs are ferried in wheelbarrows or when one of them drowns while crossing a river on their way to SAGE [Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment] pay points.
I have in the past submitted a number of articles on issues of OPs which don’t get published leaving me wondering whether it is my writing style, language, stance or whatever. I have attached herewith the latest article that I submitted on May 20 for your perusal and to inform your response. Kindly please enlighten, guide and advise me accordingly.”
Public Editor: Thank you for this feedback. The article you attached is well written and the issues well-articulated. Perhaps the editors had other time-bound articles (like it many times) and were constrained by space (again, always a challenge) at the time you submitted your article. I notice though, that you did not attach your mug shot or passport photo which is usually required and is published alongside all opinion articles. I have shared your feedback and the article with the Op-ed editor for his review and consideration, and sent a note to your email.
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Indeed as Mr Orach has indicated above, there is very little coverage in media generally about issues affecting the elderly persons, notably their unique health needs, social challenges, etc. Considering that many of the older persons (especially the educated and now retired) are consumers of media by habit built over the years – and some in the village have a small radio as their loyal companion, it is “only right and just” that the media should honour their loyalty by devoting a little space to issues that affect them. They are your parents, neighbours and relatives, and tomorrow you could be an older person!
The NMG Editorial Policy recognises the need to put a special focus on specific sections of our society that are sometimes forgotten altogether like the elderly. The following is the specific provision in the guidelines:
“The Group’s news outlets in their commentary pages and programmes will vigorously support the interests of the underprivileged and disadvantaged groups or persons and will work to combat injustice without fear or favour; they will seek to be sensitive to gender issues, the interests of the rural populations and of all forms of minority.”
Another provision specifically guides coverage of women who have historically been on the margins of a patriarchal society. I quote: “Women’s coverage should not be confined to cosmetic and domestic issues, but must concentrate on the many important women’s issues in East Africa today.
The contents in the women’s pages or programmes, where these exist, must be properly discussed and planned at editorial conferences and should be relevant, topical, professionally written and presented.
Saturday Monitor publishes a 12-page ‘Full Woman’ magazine devoted to the “fair” sex. A lot of content in other editorial products, notably Health magazine on Mondays and Life magazine in Sunday Monitor is deliberately skewed to women issues. There are equivalent programmes on NTV and Spark TV.
With regard to youth and young people in general, the editorial policy guidelines is as follows: “Coverage of news related to the youth should go beyond the apparent preoccupation with simple consumerism and all forms of instant gratification and should aim at focusing on the youth programmes that add value to the general development of societies and expressing the views, raising questions and focusing on preoccupations of the region’s youth.”
Whether we are following through these provisions is the big question – and perhaps the opportunity and missing link! Our readers and viewers should therefore challenge us on these commitments etched in the NMG Editorial Policy Guidelines, like Mr Orach has done so that the editors are re-awakened to their responsibility to provide content that does not cast a shadow over any section of our audiences.
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call/text on +256 776 500725.
