Govt urged to act on IMPI

Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Reporter
The Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Ministry should act on recommendations made by the Information and Media Panel of Inquiry (IMPI) and realign media laws with the new Constitution, Zimbabwe Union of Journalists secretary general Foster Dongozi said yesterday.

Speaking on behalf of nine media organisations ahead of World Press Freedom Day to be celebrated on Sunday globally, Dongozi said if the findings were implemented, they would address the challenges facing the media industry.

World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on May 3 every year worldwide.

Government established IMPI to assess the state of the information and media industry in the country and it released its final report last month.

He said the continued regulation of the media under AIPPA and other laws must be stopped.

The commemorations come on the backdrop of the raid on a news agency by Econet Wireless.

“We applaud the work carried by IMPI and urge the ministry to facilitate access to the report submitted as it is of public interest. We also call upon the ministry to engage media stakeholders to receive feedback on the findings,” he said.

“The ministry should expedite the process of aligning media laws and policies to the new Constitution and promoting the safety of journalists and media practitioners. Of concern is the continued licensing of the broadcasting media using the Broadcasting Services Act,”.

The theme for this year is “Let Journalism Thrive! Towards Better Reporting, Gender Equality, and Safety in the Digital Age”.