Alleged double murderer Dausab in court today – New Era

Description: This story is about an upcoming court appearance of an alleged murderer, Julius Dausab, charged for allegedly killing his former girlfriend and her mother. Dausab is reported to have acquired the services of a top Windhoek based lawyer in preparation for the upcoming court case. This story is about Dausab’s first appearance at the high court after he went on a rampage and killed the two women.

Analysis

This article is a good example of events-based coverage on gender-based-violence stories. It

Shows how stories on gender-based violence can be balanced, even though the matter is sub judice. The article is penned from a gender aware perspective.

Stories based on court reports may deny the public an opportunity to get in-depth analytical eye on gender-based violence. However, the reporter attempts to build the events leading to the alleged murder and in this way provides context and insight into gender-based violence.

A positive follow-up by the reporter would be to pattern such stories and narrate them in a feature story. This would provide context and analysis common to such cases. It would even provide comparative data and insight into the prevalence of GBV incidences in Namibia.

To its credit, this article, unlike other GBV articles, does not blame the victim for what happened. It maps the circumstances leading to the murder. It traces the steps of the alleged murderer. The language in teh story is not judgemental.

Headline

The headline indicates to the reader several elements of the story. It directs the reader to the fact that the case involves the murders of two people.

The headline uses the terms “allegedÀ in referring to the accused because the case is before the courts and has not yet been concluded.

The headline also runs on the name of an individual as it indicates an incident that has been reported on. The headline also informs readers that this matter now resides with the courts and that when this case will be heard.

Thus this headline addresses key elements fundamental to good writing À“ the author of the headline, understands the questions that need to be addressed and captures the answers upfront in the headline. The body rounds this off.

Sources

Court records are used to map the story and a public prosecutor Felicita Sikerete is sourced. The court records used allows one a clear understanding of the events that lead to the murders. It makes chronological sense of the events. The article maps the legal procedure and the records illustrate the trauma and atrocity of the murder. It highlights the violence meted against the two women.

Language

The article is written in a formal tone and legal processes are clarified simply so that readers know what to expect. The article is written in a balanced manner. The article, written in English, is concise and clear.

Visual Images

There are no visuals accompanying the article. The headline is written in white, large, font and the area surrounding the writing is blacked out À“ to draw in the reader’s eye.

Story and perspective

This is the first sitting of the High Court case. The writer ensures that the reader is aware of the legal process and the status of the matter. The story on the nature of the domestic violence is gleaned from court records and the prosecutor.

The author narrates the events in which a mother and daughter are killed, allegedly by the daughter’s boyfriend and provides context to the reader. According to the report the boyfriend, Dausab, shot the women with a hunting rifle after the girlfriend ended her relationship and moved back to live with her mother. The writer details how the boyfriend returns to his former girlfriend, apparently in an attempt to reconcile, shoots the mother in the chest and severely beats before shooting his former partner.

The writer ensures that the reader has all the facts before them and attributes these. The matter is before the court and hence, most of the information is sub judice.

Placement or positioning

The story appears on page five, which indicates that it carries editorial weight. The story takes up about three-quarters of the page.

Download : 12939_gbv_murder_namibia_newera.pdf