South Africa's eNews Channel (DStv 403) keeps referring to South Africa's female Olympic athletes in London as "girls" while the male Olympic athletes are called "men" in relentless and ongoing casual sexism from the media outlet - embarrasingly ironic even on National Women's Day in South Africa.
Multiple times the eNews Channel's Peter Stemmet, the eNews reporter based in London would mention and talk about specific South African female athletes and use the patronizing moniker of "girls".
They're not "girls" of course; they're woman. Male athletes are not called "boys"; they're called men.
"All that these guys or girls are trying to do, is just make sure and book their place in the final," Petter Stemmet told Jeremy Maggs during News Night, after he's used the word "girls" numerous times this week and today.
About Bridget Hartley Peter Stemmet said "how appropriate that on National Women's Day that one of our girls should win a medal."
Earlier today and in a constant loop, the eNews Channel called Caster Semenya "another one of the country's girls in action".
Call it a small, barely noticeable thing. And you may be right. But discourse analysis wise, it is of course embarrassing and noteworthy that a media platform - something as powerful as a TV channel - would subconsciously do this.
The eNews Channel is of course not the only culprit; but it's indicative of how South African media have not yet really moved to true bigger gender equality. Of course media is powerful in supporting entrenched behavioural attitudes - but media can also help to change certain media memes if they actually really consciously try to do so.
If the eNews Channel really wanted to support National Women's Day it wouldn't run several sad, emotional stories about marginalised women in South Africa. It would do what media does best by doing real lip service and not call and refer to female Olympic athletes as "girls".
[The eNews Channel reporter Shahan Ramkissoon in his story filed about the Olympic swimmers' homecoming today do refer briefly to Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh as "golden boys".]
