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Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
INFORMATION, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa has implored the local media to abide by the Electoral Act and be guided by the ethics of fairness, objectivity and truthfulness while reporting on the upcoming August 23 harmonised elections.
Speaking on behalf of Minister Mutsvangwa during a National Indaba on the 2023 Harmonised Elections in Mutare this week, chief director in the ministry, Mr Jonathan Gandari said the media must be vehicles of development, peace and tranquillity, and not disseminators of hate speech and enablers of violence.
Minister Mutsvangwa urged the media to afford all political parties equal space on their platforms.
“The media is expected to provide adequate information about parties, policies, candidates and the election process itself in order for voters to make informed choices.
“We all know that the media wields power to influence the perceptions and the action of the world on how to interpret the elections and in order to fulfil their roles, the media need to maintain a high level of professionalism, accuracy and impartiality in their coverage.
“There is consensus the world over that journalism which is often framed as the Fourth Estate plays a critical role during elections as it does in nation building because of its capacity to inform as well as shape opinions of the world and voters,” she said.
Minister Mutsvangwa further urged the media to keep providing platforms for contestants and citizens to engage in public debate, and not take sides.
“The media is expected to provide adequate information about parties, policies, candidates and the election process itself in order to make way for voters to make informed choices,” she said.
Minister Mutsvangwa said following the assumption of office of the Second Republic in 2018, and through stakeholder consultative approach, the media environment has improved tremendously.
“Together, we should take the credit for creating an enabling environment for us to work amicably side by side. As Government, we have executed our law and policy making mandate, while as members of the Fourth Estate, the media has held Government accountable.
“The Second Republic has been seized with the task of realigning media laws to the Constitution. In the past, Government’s relationship with the media was marked by mistrust and hostility, especially due to the enactment of the Access to Information and Protection of PrivacyAct (AIPPA). The media felt this piece of legislation was infringing on its operations,” she said.
She commended the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) for producing a manual on Elections Reporting and Peace Journalism which ensures peaceful coverage of the impending harmonised elections by the media and also capacitate media practitioners with the necessary knowledge and skills in elections reporting.
“ZMC should be applauded for producing a manual on Elections Reporting and Peace Journalism. The manual ensures peaceful coverage of the impending harmonised elections by the media and it also capacitates media practitioners with the necessary knowledge and skills in elections reporting.
“It is the ministry’s hope that the manual will also improve awareness on media practitioners’ safety when covering electoral processes and other related activities,” she said.
Addressing the same gathering, ZMC chairperson, Professor Ruby Magosvongwe made a clarion call for the media to remain factual while reporting on the electoral process.
She said the media should stick to its role of informing the public, thereby creating a communication platform for the public.
“The media is expected to provide a communication platform between the contestants and the voters. By providing such a platform for public debate, scrutiny and informing the public of the policies of candidates and political parties, the media enables voters to judge for themselves and make informed decisions when they cast their votes,” she said.
She said the role of the media should be to inform the voters about how to exercise their rights and monitor the electoral process.
Speaking at the same event, Zimpapers Group Editorial Executive, Mr William Chikoto said the media giant is commited to provide comprehensive coverage of the forthcoming harmonised elections.
“We are providing comprehensive coverage that is fair and does not discriminate. The company’s broadcast division expanded its current affairs programming to make sure that there is enough time to deal with election reporting and our newspapers are providing political advertising to all parties.
“The ball is now in the court of the political parties to make use of those platforms that we have provided,” he said.
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