The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media, Information and Communication Technology has this week recommended a number of key reforms, following investigations on the state of public media. Broadcasting and media reforms have been recommended in tandem with the requirement stipulated in the Global Political Agreement (GPA), which formed the basis for the shaky coalition government.
In its report, the committee called for an end to ZBC monopoly, observing that: “The current monopoly being enjoyed by the ZBC was regarded as incompatible with the right to freedom of expression as Article V (of the GPA) obliges the state to encourage a diverse, independent private broadcasting sector.”
The portfolio committee also recommended the transformation of the ZBC from being a state broadcaster into a genuine public broadcaster in line with regional instruments.
“There were concerns that ZBC was wholly controlled by the Minister of Media, Information and Publicity who appoints the body and issues directives to the board and management and that it was highly as a state controlled broadcaster, serving the interests of the state rather than those of the public,” the committee’s report noted.
The report also castigated the current media laws, saying they infringe on the rights of journalists. The report singled out the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which continues to restrict the work of journalists.
“In a way it curtails information on mismanagement or fraud in parastatals, accountability by public officials and curtails the media’s watchdog role function to expose corruption in the interest of the public,” says the report.
The committee also noted grievances by editors that punitive measures against journalists accused of writing falsehoods were too harsh. The portfolio committee noted that retraction of the story by the editor correcting the position and admitting that they lied, was more damaging and adequate punishment than sending the journalist to jail.
Post published in: Zimbabwe News