The MDC-T and other democratic forces have said media
reforms are a
pre-requisite for free and fair elections.
However, Zanu (PF) has developed cold feet over the issue with the
party’s spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, claiming his
party would not accede to any more reforms.
Media analyst, Rashweat Mukundu, said the public media should
live up to the expectations of citizens by providing balanced
coverage of events.
The GPA recommended, “that steps be taken to ensure that the public
media provides balanced and fair coverage to all political parties for
their legitimate political activities; that the public and private
media shall refrain from using abusive language that may incite
hostility, political intolerance and ethnic hatred or that unfairly
undermines political parties and other organisations”.
Said Mukundu: “The state-owned media is supposed to give fair and
balanced coverage to all contesting parties.
However, the state media is biased and openly campaigns for
Zanu (PF), often misleading citizens on key national political issues.
For this reason, the state media must be transformed”.
Another media analyst, Ernest Mudzengi, said the public media’s
coverage of political issues ahead of elections was largely lacking
objectivity.
“The coverage has become totally biased in favour of Zanu (PF). If you
look at the just ended primary elections, you will discover that the
primary elections for Zanu (PF) were covered in a positive light while
those for the MDC-T were covered in bad light,” said Mudzengi.
He said it was imperative to transform the
country’s sole broadcaster in order to create a level playing field
Former Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on media,
information and publicity, Settlement Chikwinya, said: “The state
media continues to be biased towards Zanu (PF) despite the existence
of Statutory Instrument 33 of 2008 which compels the state broadcaster
to afford equal access to the airwaves to all political parties.

ZBC remains partisan in its broadcast and whenever they cover issues
from other parties, they cover them negatively. The general election
remains technically rigged through the biased coverage of Zanu (PF)
issues.”
Post published in: News