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A steering committee has already been put in place to spruce the constitution and code of conduct as mandated by the inaugural convention before calling for the elections in question.

In light of the flood of enquiries and wide interest that the project has generated and for the benefit of those who were unable to attend the convention, please find below for your invaluable continued support and advocacy activities, the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) Fact Sheet on media self-regulation as the Alliance and its strategic partners, the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum (Zinef), Zimbabwe Association of Editors (ZAE) and Federation of African Media Women in Zimbabwe (FAMWZ), work flat-out towards the realisation of that eventuality as mandated by the convention and in recognition of the vital role played by a free, independent and unfettered media in the democratisation process.

Media Council of Zimbabwe Fact Sheet
Concerned about the state of the media and the nature of media regulation in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ), MISA-Zimbabwe, the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ) under the banner of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, initiated the idea of self-regulation.

This is in recognition of the fact that freedom of expression is the cornerstone of democracy and that the media plays a critical role in ensuring the realisation of this right by members of the public. MAZ also recognised that as is the case with every other powerful institution in any society, the media must be held accountable in its pursuit of truthfulness, balance and fairness and ethical conduct in the practice of journalism.

But above all, the impetus for this initiative is the recognition that free expression particularly that practiced through the media cannot be left to government control alone.

Values
Self-regulation is a preferred alternative to the current statutory media regulatory system in the firm belief that "Effective self-regulation is the best system of promoting high standards in the media" as stated in the Banjul Declaration of 2002 and the recommendations of the African Commission's Fact Finding Mission to Zimbabwe of 2002.

Self-regulation creates an environment that is conducive for the promotion of a free, independent, diverse and pluralistic media as envisaged in the Windhoek Declaration and as desired by Zimbabweans.

Why media self-regulation
Self-regulation is preferred to statutory regulation because:

• Improves the standards of journalism and enhances professionalism within the media in line with the Windhoek and Banjul Declarations.
• It develops positive relations between the media and its publics without direct interference in the editorial independence of the media
• It is accessible to most people ensuring that the media is held accountable not only to the powerful but also to ordinary citizens. Such accessibility is guaranteed in that the costs of seeking arbitration (no lawyers needed) are minimal.
• It is a better way of protecting the public's right to full, fair, balanced and accurate news reporting.

NB: Aggrieved parties can still take their matter to court if they are not satisfied but that is more expensive and acrimonious.

Why current system is not preferable

• The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which regulates the print media and the practice of journalism, contains flagrant violations of the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression.
• AIPPA arbitrarily curtails freedom of expression, by specifically imposing unreasonable restrictions on the practice of journalism turning this right into a privilege.
• The licensing mechanisms under AIPPA effectively paralyse the development of the media.
• This law carries heavy criminal penalties for essentially petty administrative offences or for activities that should not be criminalized at all. In addition, they are selectively applied only to the privately owned media.
• Under AIPPA four newspapers have been closed.

This, in turn, has created a public climate of extreme intolerance and severely unbalanced attitudes and behaviour by some sections of the public. In the journalism fraternity there is fear and self-censorship, which short-changes the public's right to accurate information.

What will the alternative Media Council of Zimbabwe Do?
A voluntary arbitration body to be known as the Media Council of Zimbabwe will mediate, adjudicate and arbitrate complaints by individuals and organisations in respect of falsehoods, inaccuracies or harm to reputations by defamatory reports in the media without fear or favour.

• It will have representation form key stakeholders in society including civil society
• It will serve as a medium of understanding between the public and the media
• It will offer a channel for complaints from the general public
• To form a buffer between government, other authorities and political parties on the one side and the media on the other
• To preserve freedom of the media

It is envisaged that this will encourage the practice of the highest ethical and professional standards of journalism in Zimbabwe.

Historical background
The launch of the MCZ is the culmination of a consultative process that went beyond the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe. More than 40 consultative meetings were held with the following stakeholders:

• Civil society organisations
• Publishers
• Editors' Forums (Zimbabwe National Editors' Forum and Zimbabwe Association of Editors)
• Ministry of Information
• Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communication
• Media practitioners
• MIC vs MCZ

Our message
The message is simply that there should be freedom of expression in Zimbabwe. While the idea of regulation indicates the need for forms of control, it is strongly argued that unjustified restriction of media freedom should never be tolerated in a democracy.

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