Media told to fight for self-regulation

Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) Executive Director John Gambanga told journalists attending a media reform workshop that they should write more stories on the importance of media self-regulation and urge the government to move away from state regulation. We are challenging the current media scenario where ministers appoint editors. This means that the President is the editor-in-chief of those media houses and it becomes difficult for journalists in such media houses to criticise the government. We do not hate the government but we need it to do the right things, said Gambanga.

We are also disappointed to note that the journalistsare silent on the issue that concerns them so much. We want you to write and inform the public that media self-regulation gives them the chance to choose which paper to read and also gives them room to judge articles written by journalists. Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe Co-ordinator Andy Moyse said hate speech would be a thing of the past if self-regulation took centre-stage. Media Institute of Zimbabwe National Director Takura Zhangazha said the long-awaited Zimbabwe Media Commission should be condemned because it was a political organ established to control the media. Even if you look at the draft composition of the commission, you could easily tell that so and so supports which political party. Why should politicians control the media? he said.

History has told us that politicians are there to play a divide and rule game in the media. We all know what the Media and Information Commission, led by Tafataona Mahoso, did to the industry. This is the reason why we boycotted the media conference held in May. We could not dine while our colleagues were languishing in jail for fighting for media freedom, and we said to ourselves how can we go to Kariba and be taught media lessons by perpetrators and media hangmen, said Zhangazha.