DEPUTY Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Guyana and Suriname, Mr. Abheet Solomon has proposed a challenge to media managers, owners and editors to redefine what is considered newsworthy when reporting on issues that affect children, through increased knowledge and understanding.

Solomon was at the time addressing a media stakeholders’ meeting on Thursday at Cara Lodge on Quamina Street, Georgetown, which was aimed at the development of a Code of Conduct for Ethical Reporting on Children.
He declared that it is the responsibility of journalists to report fairly, honestly and accurately on the issues of children, and to provide space for the opinions of children themselves.
“Media workers and the organisations for which they work have a responsibility to recognise children’s rights and reflect them in their work. The media can play an important role in raising public awareness for children’s rights; through their work they can encourage government and civil society to effect changes that will improve the quality of children’s rights,” he stated.
Solomon further stated that reporting on matters concerning children and young people has special challenges, and noted that in some instances, news reports have placed children at the risk of stigmatisation.
He further related that sensational reporting can distort and exploit a serious problem, doing more harm than good.
He noted that while such reports may capture the attention of readers and viewers, it rarely takes into account the social and economic impact on the children. As such, he stressed that journalists need to be aware of the consequences of their reporting.
Solomon related that UNICEF has worked in partnership with the Human Services Ministry and the University of Guyana Centre for Communication Studies (UGCCS) to monitor trends in local media from 2008 to 2011.
He said that this study revealed very little changes in the practices and attitudes of journalists towards children and women during this period.
He stated that even though women and children make up approximately 85 percent of the population in Guyana, they continue to be underrepresented in the media.
According to the research, in 2011, children accounted for 3.5 percent of the news stories and 4.2 percent of features in the print media and electronic media. For the overall monitoring period, children accounted for only 4.6 percent of all news stories.
Solomon further highlighted that the coverage of children show a decline in both print and electronic media from 2010 to 2011, and that when compared to international and UN guidelines for the protection of children’s rights, there is much room for improvement in reporting on children’s issues in Guyana.
He stressed that the way in which the media represents children can influence decisions taken on their behalf and how the rest of the society sees them.
“Providing children and young people with opportunities to speak themselves about their hopes, fears, achievements and the impact of adults behaviour on their lives, media professionals can remind the public that children need to be respected as individual human beings,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Rights of the Child Commission (RCC), Ms. Aleema Nasir said that the commission, through initiatives like Thursday’s workshop, is beginning an awareness process which will eventually lead to all journalists and media professionals taking the initiative to maintain and practice the highest ethical and professional standard as it relates to reporting on children issues.
She stated that media organisations should regard violation of rights of children and issues related to children’s safety, privacy, security, education, health and social welfare and all forms of exploitation as important questions for investigation and public debate.
She stressed that the media should not report conditions of children only as events, and noted that journalistic activities which touch on the lives and welfare of children should always be carried out with appreciation of the vulnerable situation of children.
She pointed out that an important ethical principle in journalism is the limitation of harm, adding that this would involve withholding certain details from reports such as the names of children and crime victims and other information which can lead to the victim being easily identified.
According to Nasir, it is also important that journalists are provided with training so as to achieve high ethical standards.

MEDIA AWARENESS
She highlighted that the purpose of the meeting was to raise media awareness of children’s rights and issues, and to stimulate debate among media professionals on the topic.
Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Mr. Patrick Findlay, who delivered remarks on behalf of Minister Jennifer Webster in her absence, said the workshop was very timely and that he is certain that it would be fruitful.
He stated that children are a country’s most precious resources, since they are the future and stressed that everything possible should be done to protect and guide them.
He stated that the Human Services Ministry has seen so many children exposed to vulnerable situations and this has often times damaged the wellbeing of those children and their ability to become leaders and people who can contribute meaningfully to the development of the country.
Findlay emphasised the need for guidelines in reporting on children issues, noting that they can be very instrumental in protecting children from further harm.
He also noted that there has been an upsurge of writing and graphic depictions regarding children on social media, such as Facebook, and stressed that this also needs to be addressed.
Meanwhile, the meeting which was held under the theme “Putting children first in the media” saw the participation of several local media practitioners, as well as other stakeholders such as Youth Media Guyana and the UGCCS.
There were presentations on the importance of sensitive reporting on children by Director of the UGCCS, Ms. Carolyn Walcott, putting children first  in the development of a Code of Conduct by UNICEF Communications Officer, Ms. Jewel Mbozi and the media and child protection by Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA), Ms. Ann Greene.
Moreover, there was also a working group session where participants began to draft guidelines for the framework of the Code of Conduct for Ethical Reporting on Children.