Read Weekend Post's original exposé about Foetal Alcohol Syndrome here.
Sky News published a shocking documentary sparked by an article published in Weekend Post, and on The Herald's website, about foetal alcohol syndrome. It has been highlighted by Africa Check that insufficient research was done on this topic, both by Weekend Post and Sky News, before going to print.
The Weekend Post uncovered the foetal alcohol syndrome story after speaking to Genevieve Hendricks, from Cheshire Homes in Cleary Estate. Genevieve works extensively with children suffering from the disorder at grass roots level.
As she disclosed to both Weekend Post and Sky News that young girls were drinking deliberately to harm their children to get a disability grant, she also made it very clear that as a prominent person in the northern areas community she had managed to gain people's trust, but only after many years of hard work and empathy. As she told Weekend Post and Sky News, community members are thus very loathe to speak to outsiders, particularly members of the media, directly.
What was initially intended as a human interest article thus became so much more when Genevieve dropped this bombshell.
The fact is no proper research in the northern areas has been done on this subject, which is all the more reason why awareness is raised and proper research is in fact done. Reporters rely heavily on their sources and how trustworthy they believe them to be. Genevieve Hendricks is a person of extreme trustworthiness and has constantly stood by her assertions about foetal alcohol syndrome in the northern areas.
Furthermore we want to highlight that the researcher of Africa Check's report did not bother to ask Weekend Post for any comment before going to print.
John Harvey, Weekend Post Editor.
