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Plans to establish Independent Media Council on track
Hilton Zvidzayi, MISA-Zimbabwe
Extracted from Monthly Alerts Digest February 2006
March 08, 2006

Plans to set up an independent media council are now at an irreversible stage of advancement following the convening of a series of nationwide consultative meetings and endorsement of the draft national code of conduct as the precursor to the envisaged self-regulatory body.

The draft code of conduct, which is intrinsically critical to the establishment of a self-regulatory Independent Media Council, has generated favourable interest and debate among media practitioners in Zimbabwe.

During consultative meetings and discussions held on the code of conduct and the mandate, structure and composition of the proposed media council, journalists welcomed plans to set up the self-regulatory body as long overdue.

The journalists also committed themselves to self-introspection of their professional conduct and affirmed their resolve to retain the integrity and credibility of the profession by upholding the cardinal rules of the profession.

The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) is spearheading the countrywide consultative meetings under the auspices of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ), of which MISA-Zimbabwe, Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ) and the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum are affiliates.

The well-attended meetings that have so far been held in Bulawayo, Masvingo, Gwanda, Mutare, Kwekwe and Gweru, have been characterised by lively discussions that give the tone of an industry that is geared to enter a new era of professionalism.

Journalists from both the private and public media deliberated on the draft Code of Conduct and the setting up of the media council.

ZUJ and MISA-Zimbabwe which are membership-driven organisations, embarked on the consultative meetings to brief, brainstorm and share ideas on the concept of the media council and the objectives of the body that is expected to retain the integrity and credibility of the media profession in Zimbabwe.

The draft Code of Conduct has already been presented to the Minister of Information Dr Tichaona Jokonya and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communications.

The meetings also noted the positive policy pronouncements by Dr Jokonya, his deputy Bright Matonga and the Secretary for Information and Publicity George Charamba.

Dr Jokonya is on record saying once the envisaged body is in place that would entail revisiting the statutory regulatory powers of the Media and Information Commission – a development which the journalists described as progressive.

The drafting of the Code comes on the background of the need for self-regulation as stipulated in the 2002 Banjul Declaration on the Principles of Freedom of Expression in Africa to which Zimbabwe is a signatory.

The Declaration frowns upon statutory regulation of the media as epitomised by the MIC in terms of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

The Declaration states: "Effective self-regulation is the best system for promoting high standards in the media."

During the ongoing meetings, resource persons drawn from ZUJ and MISA-Zimbabwe explained that besides raising the standards of journalism, a self-regulatory media body would be empowered to impose certain sanctions against errant journalists and media houses as mandated by its constitution.

The media would also be visibly accountable to the public once they become aware that they can seek redress through a self-regulatory media complaints body, preferably chaired by a retired High Court judge.

The amicable and speedy resolution of grievances by the Council will not only help in instilling high professional standards in the media but will go a long way in improving relations between those who tell the story and those who are told the stories as errant journalists and media houses will be subjected to censure, peer review, public scrutiny and accountability.

The setting up of the independent media council would, therefore, go a long way in strengthening the voice of the media in Zimbabwe, defending media freedom and the right to freedom of expression as journalists assume a leading role in matters pertaining to their professional conduct.

It was unanimously agreed that in order to retain the integrity and credibility of the profession, it was imperative for journalists to adhere to high standards of professionalism as set in the draft code of conduct and that those who deviate from the set standards should be sanctioned accordingly.

Botswana, Tanzania and South Africa among others, were cited as some of the countries in southern Africa from which lessons can be drawn on functioning codes of conduct and ethics and independent self-regulatory media councils.

The Botswana Code of Ethics which was approved in early 2004, sets standards on reporting accurately, confidentiality of sources, privacy of individuals as well as guarding against publishing material that is likely to cause hostility or hatred on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, religion or political affiliation.

It is against that background, that media practitioners agreed to be on the forefront in charting and defining the future of journalism in Zimbabwe as the country could not afford to lag behind where it concerns defending media freedom as a critical component to the exercise of freedom of expression, economic development and good governance.

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