Comment: Not waiting to die

Over the weekend, social media was awash with analysis over the future of journalism in Zimbabwe after the announcement by South Africa’s City Press that this week’s edition would be its last.

The newspaper, which started operating in 1984, stopped printing in 2024 when it went fully digital, but even that route taken by so many media companies failed to save the publication from an inevitable final goodbye.

Unsurprisingly, the closure of City Press has sent panic waves in Zimbabwe, where the media faces more pressing challenges of an unpredictable economy. On social media, commentators were quick to predict the demise of local media houses, urging journalism to reinvent itself: “adapt or die”, they warned, or shift entirely to content creation.

We have never doubted that one day, all newspapers will die. This is not only because of the internet, social media, or the ever-dwindling reading culture. All good things die. One day, even social media will die. That’s the way of life. But what we want to make crystal clear is that we are not just waiting to die.

We are taking a final stand. We are holding the line. Not for ourselves but for the public good.

On the same weekend that City Press bade a final goodbye, one of Zimpapers’ titles, H-Metro, published a special edition focusing on the Harare derby pitting Dynamos and CAPS United that was distributed for free at Rufaro Stadium. There was hardly any mention of this business-focused innovation during the City Press-induced debate.

We also published a free copy of our Matabeleland South Edition, available during the national Independence Day celebrations at Maphisa Stadium in Matobo District on April 18.

The Chronicle Matabeleland South Edition is a weekly e-paper launched this year and has so far only been printed on Independence Day.

This week also saw the publishing of this year’s first edition of Zi Property, an e-magazine inspired by Zimbabwe’s burgeoning property market.

These innovations are just a drop in the ocean of change led by the Zimpapers Superdesk, the editorial engine room of Zimbabwe’s largest integrated media company. Innovation runs in the veins of the Superdesk, which has been charged with the Herculean task of turning digital transformation into profit.

The road ahead is not an easy one for the media industry. Operational costs, a volatile economy, dwindling advertising revenues, unregulated media, an uneven environment and unpredictable international shocks are the order of the day.

But still we rise. In an environment much more difficult to operate than South Africa, Zimpapers is still alive. Our conviction as journalists has never been stronger. Digital transformation is not just survival; it’s legacy.

And as the platforms die, one by one, one constant will remain: journalism. Our calling is journalism. As the 73rd World News Media Congress declared: “Only journalism will save journalism!”

We must always remember that our consumers are not only looking for but also willing to pay for trustworthy news or high-quality journalism. In this age of misinformation, it is important that we continue to ride on the highest ethical plane.

So, as the analysts continue to unpack the death of City Press and what it means for Zimbabwean journalism in general and newspapers in particular, they must not neglect to mention that some of us have taken a final stand; we are holding that line.