Good civics education will improve understanding of role of newspapers Ismail Lagardien Columnist & essayist 02 March 2021 Picture: 123RF/DANIL CHEPKO One of the myriad failures of SA’s education system — the post-1994 period — is a poor knowledge of civics and society. This lack of knowledge is especially acute when it comes to understanding the role and place of newspapers, and in particular, the difference between news reportage and opinion, and of investigative journalism. It does not help, also, that we have politicians with access to social media, and who m...