Harare (New Ziana) –The media in Zimbabwe should play a role in ensuring harmonised elections set for later this year are held in a peaceful environment, a cabinet minister has said.
Information Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said this in a speech read on her behalf by her deputy Kindness Paradza at a function to launch a manual on election reporting and peace journalism which the Zimbabwe Media Commission developed.
“The media should not inflame the electoral environment by promoting hate speech, biased reporting and allowing itself to be used by external forces bent on tarnishing the country,” she said.
She said during the harmonised elections, the media was expected to provide platforms for candidates and political parties to explain their policies to the electorate to enable them to make informed decisions.
“The ability of voters to make informed choices is one of the key aspects of a democratic electoral process,” she said.
Mutsvangwa said the government did not expect the media to be party activists and to sensationalise issues but to inform voters on how to exercise their rights, monitor the electoral process including election-day proceedings, she explained.
She said media outlets, whether public or private, should be subject to the same obligations of fairness, balance and impartiality.
It was public knowledge, Mutsvangwa said, that the Second Republic had taken steps to ensure that media operated in a conducive environment.
“With this, the media is expected to conduct its business in a fair, objective and balanced manner,” she said.
The manner in which elections were conducted and the way the media covered issues had far-reaching consequences on the political future of any country, explained Mutsvangwa.
She said the media could be used by some forces to distort or undo all national efforts to hold free and credible elections.
The way the media reported on electoral processes had far reaching effects even after the polls as Zimbabweans tried to build and develop their country.
“The media has to comply with Constitutional provisions on the use of hate and inflammatory language, violence and that its reportage does not lead inflaming the environment,” she said.
Mutsvangwa urged tertiary institutions that offer media and journalism training to embrace the manual as part of their training.
The ZMC, with financial assistance from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) produced a manual to equip media practitioners with skills to report on elections and to assist in creating an environment for holding free and credible elections.
UNESCO regional director Lydia Britto told guests to the same gathering that as result of its work in producing the manual, its Head Office was providing it with resources to extend the process to Mozambique, Malawi and South Africa, which would be holding elections next year.
Speaking at the same function, ZMC chairperson said they would soon embark on a nation-wide program to train media practitioners who will be covering the upcoming and future elections on using the manual.
New Ziana
