WATCH: Media houses sign professionalism & peace pledge ahead of elections

THE country’s mainstream media yesterday renewed its commitment to professionalism and fair coverage of electoral processes while promoting peace ahead of the August 23 harmonised elections.

Officials from both the public and private media appended their signatures to the Harmonised Elections Media Code of Conduct Pledge, a document that was produced following the engagement of players in the sector.

Organisations such as the Zimpapers, Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ), and universities were among the institutions that signed the professional pledge.

The professional pledge was signed yesterday at a Bulawayo hotel. Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana led the signing of the media pledge on behalf of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa.

Representatives from the main political parties also signed the pledge.

The pledge takes into cognisance the fact that elections are key to democracy with the media obliged to provide accurate, reliable and essential information to empower the electorate to make informed decisions.

According to the pledge the media commits to: upholding the highest standards of impartiality, credibility, and integrity, accountability to the public by putting voters, and the integrity of the electoral process at the centre of reporting.

The pledge also calls on the media to focus on issues as opposed to personalities while examining a track record of candidates and political parties vying for public office and holding them accountable.

The media also committed to covering all electoral actors in a professional, fair, and ethical manner. Solidarity pledges will be held for journalists or media institutions as they carry out their duties.

The media players also committed to respecting and giving equal opportunities to female journalists and providing fair coverage to women politicians.

The media houses are also expected to ensure that they do not promote public inflammatory language and should also provide retractions whenever incorrect information is published.

ZMC executive secretary Mr Godwin Phiri said the signing of the professional pledge follows stakeholder engagement by the media fraternity on how it should conduct itself during polls.

“One of the key outcomes of that process is that as the media sector, we need to sign a pledge, a pledge where we are committing to remain professional around elections. There are ethics that speak to journalism which journalists learn in school, but sometimes because of the nature of events, we need to remind ourselves of those ethics,” he said.

“The pledge that we present is an agreement reached by media stakeholders in Mutare on July 11 2023.”

Mr Phiri said he hoped that the sector will hold a reflection meeting after the polls to assess how the media fared during the harmonised elections.

Minister Mutsvangwa, in a speech read on her behalf by Mr Mangwana, said it is critical for the media to uphold professional conduct during the election season.

“I want to implore the media to remain resolute in upholding ethical standards in journalism in general and election reportage in particular. Peaceful elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, representing the voice of the people and their right to elect their leaders,” she said.

“It is therefore imperative that the media acts as a faithful steward of the process. The role of the media extends beyond the mere reporting of events, it involves the generation of well-researched articles, production of analytical pieces, and making sure diverse voices of ordinary citizens are heard.”

Minister Mutsvangwa said journalists should commit to upholding the truth, providing balanced coverage and refraining from sensationalism or bias.

She said citizens rely on the media for them to make electoral-related decisions.

“By presenting a fair portrayal of all candidates and their platforms, journalists contribute to an informed electorate, which is a fundamental pillar of a functioning democracy,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.

She said hate speech and inflammatory reporting have no place in the country and urged journalists to desist from participating in political activism.

Minister Mutsvangwa said the media should guard against being used as mouthpieces by political parties.

She said while the emergence of digital media has seen an increase in citizen journalists who may not follow ethical considerations, the mainstream media remains the authoritative and authentic voice in terms of information dissemination.

Minister Mutsvangwa said the mainstream media and journalists should occupy the social media platforms while upholding the highest level of professionalism.

She said Government guarantees the security of journalists while executing their duties.

The minister said the media should use its strategic influence for nation building.

“I urge you to recognise the incredible influence that you wield and the profound impact you have on the electoral processes. I need not remind you that you are a critical cog in the governance and democratic processes of this country,” she said.

Minister Mutsvangwa said Government appreciates the significant role by the media to ensure the people are better informed for critical decision making.

“I implore you to use the pen and the microphone to develop the country. We have one country, one existence, one future. We are all bound by the same passport,” she said.

“The observers and all the visitors will come and go. As Zimbabweans will forever be here. Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo. Let’s build the nation together brick by brick and stone upon stone until we get to a Zimbabwe we all want, which will be an upper middle income society by 2030.”–@nqotshili