VMCZ drafts bill on media self-regulation

Tentatively titled Media Practitioners Bill, the proposed law provides for the transfer of crucial media regulating powers from the state and Zimbabwe Media Commission, to a body of media practitioners themselves.

The development follows long-time outcry by media practitioners on the heavy-handedness of the state in regulating operations of the industry in ways that borders on muzzling of freedom of expression and tyranny. That situation saw some media organisations shut down, journalists arrested and others harassed by state security agents for doing their jobs.

Among other aspects, the bill seeks to ensure that registration of new media players and accreditation of local journalists be done by a body of journalists themselves instead of the current Zimbabwe Media Commission. The bill also seeks to outlaw criminalisation of any journalistic work by way of creating a professional media complaints committee that deals with any grievances against journalists. More importantly, the bill attempts to improve professionalism of the industry by stipulating a minimum academic qualification one needs to have in order to practice as a journalist.

Loughty Dube, the VMCZ director told The Zimbabwean that though his organisation has come up with the draft bill, consultations with the journalists themselves have been rolled out in the country.

“At the moment we are holding some consultative meetings in places like Gweru, Bulawayo, Harare among others to gather views of journalists on what they want included in the bill. We feel that the bill belongs to them because it is about media work. There is also a critical code of conduct governing their work in the draft. So after the consultations we hope to produce something good for the media industry,” he said.

Dube added that after the bill has been fully drafted and incorporating the views of the journalists, processes to ensure it is pushed through parliament in order to become law will start.

“We have devised ways that we will use to lobby for the bill to be passed in parliament. We will work in cordial ways with the ministry of information, parliamentarians and all relevant authorities in that bid,” he said.