‘The nation’s liveliest newspaper’

Innocent Madonko, Editor

AS The Chronicle celebrates this momentous occasion, we wish to take time to thank our readers and advertisers who have supported us through this incredible journey.

The newspaper has undergone several transformations through its 125-year history and these have been done in an endeavour to enhance the quality of the paper as well as stay relevant in a rapidly changing environment. From a newspaper that catered mainly for the white settler community in 1894, The Chronicle has successfully transformed into a medium for the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the majority black population in independent Zimbabwe.

It is a miracle that The Chronicle has managed to weather various storms and navigate the treacherous economic turbulence which began at the turn of the millennium and continues to this day. It is a testament of our staying power and the fact that we are the voice of the Southern region of the country that has endeared us to our loyal readers and advertisers.

We remain indebted to their support and loyalty as we begin another journey towards 150 years of uninterrupted publishing. We wish to assure our stakeholders that we will stay true to our motto as the Nation’s Liveliest newspaper by continuing to churn out content that is informative, educative, entertaining and that speaks to the views and aspirations of the people of Bulawayo, the greater Matabeleland region, parts of the Midlands and Masvingo.

With the advent of the digital era, The Chronicle and other newspapers are having to grapple with a flight of readers with the attendant fall in circulation figures.

This means our journalism has to adapt to the fast-changing phenomenon.

This is why the newspaper is found online and other platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. However, this does not spell the demise of the printed paper. Trends worldwide indicate that while young readers (millennials) are migrating to digital platforms, the older generation is still reading newspapers.

In countries such as Zimbabwe with relatively modest Internet penetration, access to credible online content is limited. The newspaper is therefore the most reliable source of news. We posit that The Chronicle and other newspapers will continue to provide readers with credible and verified information for the foreseeable future.

Following events of November 2017, the Second Republic has been implementing reforms to position the economy and nation on a new trajectory. As a public newspaper, we are part of that transformation.

Our job is to be the link between the Government as it embarks on its reforms, and the people of Zimbabwe who are the stockholders of this new dispensation as expressed through their vote in July last year.

We promise to record the journey towards Vision 2030 to the best of our abilities.

To the people of Matabeleland, we are aware that issues such as Gukurahundi and devolution are close to their hearts. We will document the process currently underway to put closure to the emotive Gukurahundi matter while tracking the process of devolving power to the provinces.

As the 25th Editor of The Chronicle, I will not preside over the death of this historic and important newspaper. All efforts will be made to keep it afloat in these challenging times.