Online Reporter
Last week the Zimbabwe Republic Police was forced to remind journalists and social media clout chasers against rushing to identify fatal accident victims on social media before their next of kin have been notified.
The rush by journalists and social‑media influencers to announce the identities of the three Highlanders Football Club executive members who died in the horrific road accident on their way back to Bulawayo was more than a lapse in judgment.
It was a stark reminder of how far our media ecosystem has drifted from its ethical moorings. The tragedy itself was heartbreaking; the manner in which it was handled publicly was shameful.
In the scramble to be first, many journalists and influencers abandoned the most basic principles of responsible reporting — verification, sensitivity, and respect for the dead and their families. What unfolded online in the hours after the accident was not journalism; it was a spectacle.
The moment images of the mangled vehicle surfaced, social media timelines were flooded with posts claiming to know who had died. Some journalists published names before confirming them with authorities.
Influencers, eager for engagement, shared graphic visuals of the accident scene — bodies visible, personal belongings scattered, blood on the tarmac — all without a shred of consideration for the families who had not yet been informed. This behaviour was not only unethical; it was cruel.
Inevitably, families learned of the deaths through WhatsApp forwards and Facebook posts, not through official communication.
Graphic images were shared without consent, violating the dignity of the deceased and traumatising thousands who encountered them online.
The images shared were not contextualised, not necessary for public understanding, and not handled with any ethical restraint. They served only one purpose: to attract attention.
The wrongs committed include showing identifiable features of the deceased, effectively announcing their deaths before families had been notified, capturing close-up shots of bodies, which is a direct violation of privacy and dignity, recording videos of grieving bystanders, therefore turning private anguish into public content.
In moments of tragedy, journalists and influencers have a duty to protect victims from further harm. Instead, they amplified it. Journalism is not a race — it is a responsibility.
The behaviour displayed after the Highlanders tragedy reflects a broader crisis in Zimbabwean media culture. Verification has been replaced by speculation.
Ethical reflection has been replaced by the pursuit of virality. The line between journalism and content creation has blurred, and in that blur, accountability has been lost.
Traditional media houses should have set the tone — withholding names until families were informed, avoiding graphic visuals, and prioritising verified information.
Instead, some joined the frenzy, publishing prematurely and contributing to the chaos. Influencers, who often operate without editorial oversight, acted with even less restraint. For them, tragedy became content. Engagement became currency.
Humanity became secondary. Behind every name published prematurely is a family thrown into shock. Behind every graphic image shared is a community forced to relive trauma. Behind every rumour circulated is a club already grieving, now burdened with misinformation.
The Highlanders Football Club community deserved better. The families of the deceased deserved better. Zimbabwean society deserved better.
As per the police warnings, this tragedy should be a turning point.
Journalists must recommit to the ethics that define their profession: accuracy, sensitivity, and respect. Influencers must recognise that having an audience comes with responsibility, not just opportunity.
