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On Wednesday the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Chris Mushohwe, criticised the local private media for their disregard for the national interest. Reviewing the first three months in his new portfolio, he also expressed unhappiness with their consistently negative stories on the national leadership, particularly President Robert Mugabe and also the First Lady, Cde Grace and the Vice-Presidents, Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko.
Minister Mushohwe said he expected the newspapers to be more responsible, but warned that if the unprofessionalism continues, the government could take corrective measures within the parameters of the law. He said the Press should appreciate that their negative reports on the government and its leadership shaped foreigners’ views on the country. Among these foreigners are investors that the government is trying to attract to put their money into the economy to help revive it.
“I asked them,” said Minister Mushohwe, “who needs a bad Press, who invests in a bad Press? A bad Press is simply bad, it’s not good for the country, it is not good for government, and it is bad business. In the three months that I have been in charge of the media sector, I have been struck by the occurrences and intensity of bad Press targeting in many instances His Excellency the President, the First Lady and the two Vice Presidents. Every day, there is a negative story about one, both or all of them. Every day! What kind of journalism is that, I asked many of my interlocutors?”
He added:
“And we are saying to the private media, government is not the enemy. President Mugabe is not the enemy, the First Lady and Family are not the enemy, the Vice Presidents are not the enemies. You have the national interest to defend. The national interest includes, among other concerns, the sanctity of our independence and national sovereignty; our right to self-determination; national unity and the indivisibility of Zimbabwe; national security; sensitivity to our economic interests; our right to our national resources; national culture; justice; and empowerment, and of course democracy. It also refers to the primacy of our Constitution and those values which it upholds.”
His criticism of the private media came a few months after the President himself and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Cde George Charamba, voiced similar concerns.
Indeed, the government has a challenge with regards to the conduct of its apparently hostile private media. They don’t seem to appreciate the sanctity of the national interest and the ethos of responsible journalism.
By and large, the ceaseless attacks on the government can be traced to 1999 when the MDC was formed, a party whose orientation was also inherently oppositional and anti-Zimbabwe with no respect for the national interest. The private Press that was stridently pro-MDC and anti-government has continued on that path.
It is important to highlight that by criticising the antagonism of the private media, we and the government are not saying they must be lapdogs of the establishment or that we are opposed to media pluralism.
Section 61 of the constitution guarantees freedom of expression. After years of lobbying by journalists, the new constitution also specifically guarantees freedom of the media and protection of journalists’ sources of information. That was a huge victory for the Fourth Estate of the Realm.
We have no reason to think that the government does not respect the constitution and the freedoms it provides for the media. However, all rights and freedoms are not absolute. A professional journalist knows that he or she has ethics to uphold and that always maligning someone isn’t one of them.
It is because of the government’s respect for the constitution and freedom of the media that it has not taken drastic action on the reportage it sees as offending and unprofessional. It is only appealing to the news media to be ethical and uphold the national interest.
“Government and indeed my ministry are willing to work with the private media which are truly original in thinking and national outlook, not proxies of the West or some NGO,” said Minister Mushohwe. “We want to see a professional media in Zimbabwe, a pluralistic media expressing divergent viewpoints, yes, but converging on defending the national interest. We expect a high sense of professionalism and sensitivity to matters of national interest. I committed myself to working with proprietors to ensure good practices in the media.”
We take the minister’s assessment of the media landscape and his censure of those that have adopted an adversarial stance against the government and the national interest as sincere, constructive criticism, not threats on journalists as some sensationalist news networks are alleging.
This is a continuation of the ministry’s agenda since 2013 of engaging the entire media sector, seeking to understand their challenges and aspirations and ultimately depolarise it. We appeal to the media to recognise the rapprochement and contribute to nation building, not divide it.
Online Reporter