ZMC urges responsible media conduct during polls

Harare (New Ziana)-The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) has expressed grave concern at the lapse in ethical and professional journalism by some registered media houses in the coverage of the upcoming general elections.

In a statement, the ZMC urged the media to cover the August 23 harmonized elections responsibly and to be guided by the generally agreed universal ethics and national laws.

“ZMC wishes to advise all media players, operating in Zimbabwe, that it has the power to penalize any journalist or media house that is found to be abusing the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media as guaranteed by the Constitution. We will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against those journalists and media players who flagrantly violate the law to pursue their partisan political agendas. There is no place for “activism or commissariat journalism” in any newsroom,” it said.

The ZMC warning comes as the government dismissed a story by a local daily newspaper alleging that the ruling Zanu PF party had enlisted the electoral campaign services of Mozambique’s governing authorities for next month’s elections as ‘reckless, malicious, offensive and provocative yellow journalism’ which Zimbabwe is best without.

In a front-page article on Tuesday, the NewsDay, one of the country’s four daily newspapers, alleged that the Mozambican ruling party FRELIMO had deployed its officials to the Zimbabwean eastern border district of Chipinge, Manicaland province, to campaign for Zanu PF in the upcoming general elections.

The newspaper report appeared to be based on an unverified video of a man purportedly from Frelimo campaigning in Chipinge for a Zanu-PF Parliamentary candidate, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The two countries share a long border stretching hundreds of kilometres.

New Ziana