Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
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(John McCann/M&G)
ARTICLE

We should not weaponise mental illness

The case of Roxanne Joseph lays bare society’s inconsistencies about who deserves our empathy

  • Eusebius McKaiser
8 min read
Sympathy-privilege is a reality. If you have the right aesthetic or social positioning you can have multiple chances to re-enter the moral community with a clean slate. (Graphic: John McCann/M&G)
JOURNALISM

Who decides who is eligible for forgiveness and rehabilitation?

We should give people second chances. But we need to reflect on whether a black or brown person would survive a fake cancer scandal

  • Eusebius McKaiser
6 min read
Roxanne Joseph lied about having cancer for nine months in 2015-16. She has admitted to this, and undergone therapy for a serious mental illness. (Twitter)
AFRICAN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM CONFERENCE

Beyond betrayal: Is redemption possible for a journalist who lived a lie?

A young reporter lied about having cancer. Did her well-connected father cross the line protecting her? And does it endanger trust in journalism?

  • Simon Allison
23 min read