Tinaye Agere
Miriam Tose Majome
FOLLOWING proclamation of the 2023 harmonised elections date by President Mnangagwa, it is now all systems go for the media to report on the polls.
The media plays a critical role in disseminating information and news about the plebiscite and political activities during the current period.
This is a weighty role that calls for responsible journalistic conduct.
The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) has stepped up efforts to ensure the sector is prepared for responsible, professional reporting and conduct.
As the industry regulator, the commission is concerned with promoting and enforcing media ethics and good practices, especially during such crucial national events.
On Monday, the commission held a press conference to remind journalists to recommit themselves to their professional ethics and standards when covering news on elections. They were also called on to remain neutral, unbiased and refrain from engaging in political activism under the guise of journalism.
It is a fact that some journalists abuse their positions to engage in political activism.
They often exert undue influence on their audiences when all they should be doing is disseminating facts as they are.
When performing their duties, journalists should never descend into the political arena in pursuit of their own agendas.
The media’s role should only be to provide a platform for contestants and voters to meet and promote public debate and discourse on the political options available. The media is where political ideas are presented for scrutiny by the electorate.
Journalists should always respect and trust their audiences enough to make their own choices, after informing them of those options.
It is a legal requirement for the media to accord all political parties and actors the same opportunities to engage and debate ideas.
Journalists are often purveyors of hate speech and inflammatory language, which can trigger violence.
Journalistic vices in election coverage include agenda-driven political reporting; generation and spreading of fake news; and misinformation and disinformation. Journalists who cover politics are extremely vulnerable because of the heightened political sensitivities during election periods.
They can be subjected to violent attacks such as kidnapping, torture and murder, because, in delivering facts, they inevitably step on the toes of very powerful people.
The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 67 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2022, representing a 50 percent increase from the previous year.
In Zimbabwe, some journalists were assaulted during the 2008 Presidential election run-off.
We hope the forthcoming elections will be peaceful.
The ZMC takes the safety of journalists seriously.
To enhance their safety, the commission procured branded press jackets for accredited journalists.
The jackets will enhance their visibility and aid in identifying them easily.
The commission is also training up to 1 000 journalists on peace- and conflict-sensitive journalism.
Further, the commission is engaging the police to ensure journalists work without undue hindrance, particularly when covering rallies and other public political events.
The ZMC also prepared and launched an Elections Reporting and Peace Journalism Manual, which is being distributed to accredited journalists.
The manual contains guidelines on peace reporting; violence and conflict resolution; elections and women; elections and youths; the conduct of the media when covering political activities; and the safety of journalists. To show the importance of elections reporting, the Electoral Act prescribes the setting up of a Media Monitoring Committee for election periods. The committee is made up of officials from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe and ZMC.
It monitors elections reporting to ensure responsible media conduct during the polls, and has to produce a report for Parliament.
Miriam Tose Majome is a commissioner with the Zimbabwe Media Commission.
Online Reporter