16 Feb 2009: ISS Today: Criminal Reporting in South Africa?

16 February 2009: Criminal Reporting in South Africa?

 

A recent article published on the South African news website Independent Online entitled “Hijackers shoot cop” (09 February 09) stood out from the rest of the usually sensational articles often produced about such incidents. The article, about a taxi hijacking incident that took place in Johannesburg in which a policeman was shot, was exceptional both because of the objective manner in which it was written and because it provided a fair amount of informative detail on the incident.

 

The way in which the mainstream media reports on issues in South Africa has a significant role to play in shaping public perceptions and attitudes, particularly when it comes to issues such as armed violence.

 

In a 3-year assessment conducted by the Institute for Security Studies last year on how the media reports on issues of armed violence, it was interesting to note how little insight is provided into the how’s and why’s of these incidents. Not providing information on where the majority of incidents are taking place and how they are being carried out, can lead to misperceptions over the nature and occurrence of incidents of armed violence in the country, particularly with regards to high-risk groups and areas.

 

Reports on incidents of armed violence are for the most part done in an episodic manner and are seldom linked to the ‘bigger picture’ of crime. They often do not contribute in any way to our understandings of armed violence in South Africa.

 

Articles also very seldom give any indication as to how the police and various security institutions work and how they are addressing and managing armed violence. As there are few follow-up articles on incidents, except perhaps for high profile cases, it is difficult to assess how effective these institutions have been in addressing and combating armed violence.

 

The above-mentioned article on the taxi hijacking was interesting because it provided insightful information from the police official that was interviewed on how and where the incident took place, as well as how the incident was dealt with by the police.

 

The article provided precise details on where the incident took place (suburb and exact streets) and mentioned that the area was a known taxi hijacking hotspot. It also stated how the hijackers attempted to hijack the taxi, by ‘trying to pull the keys out of the ignition’. Details on the make of the firearm used were given and the article mentioned that the serial number had been filed off. Serial numbers are often filed off of weapons that have been stolen from legitimate firearm owners. The SAPS has estimated that approximately 20 000 legitimately owned firearms are lost each year through negligence and theft.

 

Two other significant details mentioned in the article were that the firearm used was going to be sent for ballistic testing in order to test if it had been used in other hijacking incidents in the area and that it was patrolling crime combating police that were alerted and who responded to the incident. While not seemingly important, these details give an indication as to how the police are dealing with these types of incidents.

 

It is true that it can be difficult for reporters to obtain relevant or useful details on incidents of armed violence and they are often dependent on police officials for this information. However, providing more in-depth information and analysis on the how’s and whys of crime incidents can provide a more informative and useful picture of armed violence for the public. The media certainly have newspapers to sell - and sensational stories do sell - it also has a role to inform the public and provide insight into the issues that affect people’s daily lives.

 

Dominique Dye, Junior Researcher, Arms Management Programme, ISS Tshwane (Pretoria)