MMP accuses media of bias

“It is interesting to note the bias in partner-killing reports, where women kill their husbands for financial gain, whilst men kill their intimate partners out of an irrational rage,” the MMP remarked.

“Both these examples exclude systematic physical and emotional abuse and, in so doing, create the impression that these events are somehow insulated from broader social problems.”

While incidents involving ‘man-eaters’ – women who plot to kill their husbands and live-in lovers – to ‘inappropriately’ inherit their money continue to make the headlines around the country week in and week out, the lack of official figures to contextualise these sad events makes it difficult to ascertain the surge of what some newspapers refer to as ‘family contract killings’ or ‘family heists’.

No solid evidence

But, the MMP deeply regrets that certain articles it monitored and analysed in the past years, including the ‘famous’ cases of Mulalo Sivhidzo (daughter-in-law of City Press editor Mathatha Tsedu), Nokwanda Ngombane and Najwa [Taliep Pietersen’s wife], speak of ‘alarming increase’ and ‘surge in contract killings’ without a solid evidence to back their claims.

“Only 10 cases – a thin evidence – were presented to support this claim of ‘an alarming increase’,” the MMP lamented, thus accusing local media of complicity against married women by stereotyping them as being greedy enough to kill their intimate partner [whenever the occasion arises].

Furthermore, the MMP said that certain articles are ‘problematic’ in the sense that they do not provide readers with adequate and accurate information on the case (for instance, quoting a policing or judicial source that confirms that money was the cause of murder).

The MMP wishes that before rushing to make unsubstantiated claims that may violate the defendant’s constitutional rights, reporters should investigate properly and deeply to find out more about what it calls ‘certain factors’ that may have led to a woman murdering her partner.

Stereotyping women and men

The MMP believes that the media is making a short leap in stereotyping women generally as ‘homicidally greedy’, in contrast to men who are stereotyped as murdering as a result of sudden incontrollable rage.

“Although cases involving a few women in the killing of their husbands for financial gain have increased, the language used by the media when covering the issue has made it look like the situation is out of control, and this stereotypes woman.

“This is in violation of some of the women covered human rights and serves to cast all women in the same mould. It also does not reflect that women are far more often killed by their intimate partners than they kill their intimate partners, for whatever reason,” the MMP concluded.

Established in 1993, the MMP is a non-governmental organisation specialising in media monitoring, with the goal of advancing a media culture in SA and the rest of the continent, which is critical, fair, diverse and ethical.

For more information, go to www.mediamonitoring.org.za.