ZEC commends Zimpapers coverage of by-elections

THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has commended integrated media house Zimpapers for its coverage of the 26 March by-elections.

Speaking during a training on the country’s electoral processes jointly organised by ZEC and Zimpapers for the media house’s personnel that is taking place in Chinhoyi, the commission’s deputy chairperson, Commissioner Joyce Kazembe said the media plays an important role in agenda setting and in shaping people’s perceptions about an election, electoral processes, and the candidates thereof.

She commended Zimpapers’ coverage of the just ended by-elections noting that they kept the public informed on the commission’s work.

“Let me take the opportunity to commend how Zimpapers radio stations and the print media covered the 26 March by-election on polling day. We are very grateful as a Commission for the countdown bulletins which you did.

They kept listeners updated on the work of the Commission.

“Having asked myself the definition of the media, I asked myself what role the media should play in elections and electoral processes.

It is my fervent wish that you, as the media, should know that elections are not an event, but are cycles of three interdependent phases namely the pre -election period, election period and post- election period,” said Comm Kazembe.

The ZEC deputy chairperson said because during election time each contestant hopes to win through convincing the electorate that their ideas are the best, the media then comes into play as a means through which these ideas are expressed to the people.

“The media plays an important role in agenda setting and in shaping people’s perceptions about an election, electoral processes, and the candidates thereof.

The power of the media to influence social, civil, cultural, political, economic and aesthetic outlook of societies has been proved by history.

“A quick listen to different radio stations about the same event gives one the diversity of perspectives of that event depending on the social, economic, or political significance of the event.

Each radio station, depending on how they choose to interpret the event, will package what we consider to be the facts of the events into information that suits their chosen narrative. This information has the power both to build and destroy.

It can have an impact of transforming attitudes, beliefs, lifestyles and patterns of behaviour which society requires to be changed,” she said.

Comm Kazembe took a swipe at the commission’s coverage of female candidates by the media, revealing that the media has either ignored or trolled.

“Female candidates are put under so much scrutiny that their personal lives are examined with a moral lens that surprisingly is not equally applied to male candidates.

In other instances, female candidates are portrayed as spoilers. What is even sad is that sometimes it is female journalists who would have worked on those stories,” she said.