Chair of the portfolio committee, Gift Chimanikire, told journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club, that the idea of setting up a self-regulatory body for media practitioners had been endorsed at almost every meeting the committee had held with players in the media industry.
Overwhelming representation has been made to the committee on the issue of self-regulation in the country. We will table the recommendations in our report before Parliament during the next session due to start in early July, said Chimanikire.
He added that, for a self-regulatory body to be effective and respected, media practitioners needed to observe professional ethics in not infringing the rights of citizens by reporting news that was untruthful and defamatory.
The body would receive, mediate and adjudicate openly and fairly complaints against the media made by individuals and organisations.
The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) is still struggling to be recognised and registered by the government since its formation in 2006.
Currently, journalists are controlled by a statutory body, the Zimbabwe Media Commission which replaced the discredited and now disbanded Media and Information Commission (MIC).
Post published in: News