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citizen journalism, daily sunTabloid can turn tide
Kim Johnson
16 November 2012
Media advocacy and citizen journalism come together in the Daily Sun to drive positive change.
This week a letter from a clinic patient and an unrelated article about a man who passed away after being turned away from a clinic highlighted the tabloid’s openness to individual and community concerns.
The receptiveness of the ‘people’s paper’ to citizen journalism has enabled it to function as channel for readers to advocate for better HIV-related treatment and services.
In a letter in Monday’s (12 November 2012) ‘Speak up!’ section, ‘Very Happy Patient’ expressed her delight that HIV-positive patients at a Vereeniging clinic are no longer being harassed by a staff member after the Daily Sun published several letters of complaint.
The paper’s exposure of this malpractice is not the only indication of its welcoming attitude towards journalism driven by Joe Public.
Another article (13 November 2012) which told the story of Jacob Makwana who died after being turned away from a clinic, was most likely sourced through concerned relatives and friends coming forward and offering the story to the paper.
The Daily Sun’s willingness to publish individual and community driven stories and to give readers a means of communicating through the media has clearly made the tabloid an effective vehicle for promoting tangible change.
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