Malala and the Reporting of Children on the Media

Oh yes, we have an icon with us, a brightly shining star who with her sheer courage and determination has put most of us to shame. However, I can not fathom how she has been largely reported in our media. We are trying to put emotional tones into a highly sensitive matter : how children should be reported in the media. A word of caution: I am not , in any case, trying to diminish her bravery, resilience and love for education. I have purely professional and and technical apprehensions, as being a media professional, that the media have failed to follow the UNICEF guidelines in reporting children.

Malala could have been lucky enough (or may be unlucky) to have a big heart, mettle of steel and a gift of the gab which raced her up the ladder of fame, respect of love at such a small age – which many can only envy. But she is still a child at the tender age of thirteen now when she is fighting the biggest war of her life: for her life. She was even younger when she first appeared in the lime light in 2009 as Gul Makai. And that was happening in an active war zone. I don’t need to explain the horrors of a war theater.

Being a father of a nine year old son, I can clearly understand the yearnings of a young but ambitious soul who wants to conquer the Mount Everest bare foot. He wants to do anything and everything. Sometimes, he is frighteningly unfearful as well as scared like a wet duck at other occasions. And I assume that most, if not all, parents experience such conditions of their budding children. They are tender souls full of vigor and untarnished sincerity to achieve something. But what is the role of a parent? To flow with the sways of the child. Or to try to groom / moderate them in accordance with the best of their capabilities.

Let’s assume that there are children and teen agers who are living in an active war zone like we have in Swat. They see the gory acts done in front of their eyes to their dear and near ones. They are bound to be both angered and feared by such acts. If their anger turned determination tries to take the better of them and they want to steal the lime light as well, what should we do? Should we put them to open dangers which may prove fatal for them?

And the issue at hand is not happening inside my home and, of course, going out of my hands, too. It is with the so called ‘professional’ journalists who are guided (or probably misguided) largely by the economic considerations of their organisations. Unfortunately, this rate race for money has become a bane of our media, who do not want to blink an eye to miss any chance to make money. In this connection, I think the UNICEF guidelines provide a good framework on how to report children at all occasions – peace and war. All children are not born leaders like Malala. Their occasional bursts of exuberance may prove fatal for them, as it is apprehended for the little angel. We, the elders, should not put our children to sword due to our towering incompetence and unacceptable meekness to stand against the tide of the time.