Media reforms boost transparency, accountability

MEDIA reforms being implemented by Government under the Second Republic have helped promote accountability in public institutions, which are now obliged to provide information to citizens.

This has also created employment for professionals in the sector through mandatory employment of communication officers.

Under President Mnangagwa’s administration, laws such as the Access to Information and Public Protection Act (Aippa) were repealed and replaced with the Freedom of Information Act.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, public institutions are compelled to employ information officers who are required by the law to provide information to members of the public.

The Second Republic also opened up the media space through the licensing of several community radio stations and six commercial television stations, creating employment for content creators among other players in the media sector.

Speaking during belated Press Freedom Day commemorations organised by the Media Institute for Southern Africa (Misa) Zimbabwe Bulawayo chapter last Friday, Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) executive secretary, Mr Godwin Phiri said laws such as the Freedom of Information Act promote an informed citizenry.

“A society that does not share information is a society that will eventually die and the media is the epicentre of sharing information. The developments that we have seen in the past five years in the media space also speak to key concerns that we need a sustainable media that can drive us and serve a 2030 Vision society,” he said.

Mr Phiri said Government promulgated the Freedom of Information Act to promote accountability.

“The legislation states that all public entities are mandated by law to appoint a public information officer. You must make it clear that this is not your ordinary information officer, the head of the secretariat or the CEO of that organisation is responsible for appointing a public information officer,” he said.

“So that when you are approaching that organisation, the information officer will have the responsibility to provide that information in a retrievable manner so that he or she can retrieve it when it is required.”

Mr Phiri commended the Cabinet for leading in terms of transparency by providing a press briefing after its meeting.

“Every Tuesday after Cabinet meeting there is a press conference where ministers tell us what they would have discussed and resolved. The law anticipates that more and more institutions are going to move towards voluntary release of information rather than situations where we have to demand information from them,” he said.

Mr Phiri said the public should also know that information of a security nature cannot be released to the public.

He said while several Government departments have employed information officers, ZMC will conduct sensitisation workshops to educate the public on the need to employ information officers.

“There is an awareness gap that needs to be closed. We will be doing a workshop soon with Government institutions to sensitise them on what the law says and the need to comply with it,” he said.