Tag Archives: News

Cape Town media sucks

Cape Town Media

Looking at these headlines makes me think that Cape Town's media really do suck eggs. I took two photos of different sections of this wall and for sensitive visitors posted the one you see above. For just how horridly sensational the media can get, be warned, but click to see this photo.

I know that some may argue that the media aren't being sensationalist, and that this is just news. The thing is that these billboards are printed to sell papers and the sad truth is that this is the news that sells. Should I burn the media for using it to sell papers? Perhaps not - but do you remember, during the World Cup Football, how few news items covered crime in South Africa? Did you at all notice that the media focused on what was big and sensational at the time - the football and everything surrounding it?

I recall becoming aware of this and wondering if the happiness and general euphoria that seemed to pervade our society at the time wasn't at least in part due to the lack of bad news and the media's switch to focus on positive stories - like SA The Good News does. It seemed that at the time that the media focused on the good and positive side. I struggle to believe that crime as described in these photos simply disappeared during June/July.