adminTanaka Mahanya
Rural communities continue to face communication challenges which include poor mobile network connection as well as unaffordable data and airtime, despite living in the digital age.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister, Kindness Paradza, said rural communities remain an important constituency as the majority of the country’s population still lives there.
“Community newspapers together with community radios are therefore important sources of information for our people and must be sited at the heart of Vision 2030.
“However, in our situation, the online publication is certainly not benefiting our people in rural Zimbabwe.
“With the ever-increasing cost of data, a typical rural dweller is left to depend on news supplied by national and regional radio stations, which in themselves do not reach the entirety of the country,” he said.
He said the media must be used as a conduit for the Government’s devolution programmes, as it is the perfect vehicle through which the Government could communicate with the grassroots.
“This is where the issue of developmental journalism comes into focus. In my view, it is now time to focus on tailor made journalism such as both developmental and solution-based journalism.
“Let me remind you that the era of competition in the media sector is over. It’s now the era of collaborations and convergence.
“While journalism should remain journalism, however, we must now think of how we should compete for the future and adopt new technologies and think outside the box.
“There must now be multi-media journalists who are competent in producing audio, script and traditional news in print form as innovation is now necessary if you are to survive the future.”
Online Reporter