Call to sharpen journalists’ training

Runyararo Muzavazi Herald Reporter
THE Herald Managing Editor, Victoria Ruzvidzo, has challenged media training institutions to lead in research and guard against producing half-baked journalists. She made the remarks while addressing a media and business conference in Harare yesterday. “Zimbabwe’s media schools are not producing journalists, they are churning out half-baked reporters. Strict sense reporters just report. Journalists record, report, analyse and investigate.

“Reporters reproduce whatever has been said by whoever has said it, as long as it’s news. They do not trouble themselves digging deeper. It is bad that the reporters’ problem is widespread in the area of general news. It is a nightmare when it penetrates a specialised beat like business news where numbers need crunching and interpretation,” she said.

She said universities should lead in research on various aspects of the economy.

“Most stories do not give an investor what he wants. We write for mass market, yet we need specialisation. Therefore reporters should shun relying on speeches of Government officials hence lack of in-depth reporting,” she said.

Ruzvidzo urged the media and colleges to work together and bring change in journalism.

“If we put our heads together and work on plugging the gaps we will surely get there, one story at a time,” she said.

Zimbabwe Stock Exchange products development manager Mr Anymore Taruvinga concurred with Ruzvidzo.

“Journalists need to understand their target audience and market. In the media industry there is lack of literacy particularly financial literacy and limited access to skills especially in the educational institutions,” he said.