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MISA-Zimbabwe
response to the story by The Sunday Mail on the Media Council of Zimbabwe
MISA-Zimbabwe
February 20, 2007
MISA-Zimbabwe would like to state that the story that appeared
in The Sunday Mail of 17 February alleging that MISA is forging
ahead with the Media Council Project unilaterally and in disregard
of advice is false, malicious and meant to divide the media in Zimbabwe
on the Media Council Project.
For
the record MISA-Zimbabwe is part of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe
constituting of ZUJ, MMPZ and MISA-Zimbabwe. The Media Council Project
is being spearheaded by MAZ working with the Zimbabwe National
Editors Forum
as well as The Zimbabwe Association of Editors. For this reason
it is not feasible that MISA-Zimbabwe would go ahead unilaterally
with a process that, as The Sunday Mail noted, needs the buy-in
of the media in Zimbabwe. Contrary to the story in The Sunday Mail,
the Media Council
Project is a
project by the media in all its diversity. MISA-Zimbabwe notes that
the Media Council Project was widely consultative with more than
40 meetings held with the media countrywide, involving the state,
community and private media.
The Media Council
is not a political project as stated in the story and the proposed
council has no capacity to be a political project simply because
its mandate has no room for politics. It is this lack of appreciation
of the work of a Media Council by The Sunday Mail that is not only
saddening but unfortunate as the media, across the divide, are supposed
to benefit from a process of self regulation as compared to what
is prevailing under the Media and Information Commission (MIC).
In the same vein MISA-Zimbabwe dismisses allegations of external
political interests in this project as well as allegations that
MISA-Zimbabwe is a foreign organization. Such allegations can only
be made by those who are ignorant of how organizations as MISA are
constituted and how they operate. MISA-Zimbabwe fails to see how
the interests of foreigners would, in all fairness, be served by
a body such as a Media Council.
MISA-Zimbabwe
reiterates that there is no law in Zimbabwe that stops professionals
from forming a professional body to enhance their accountability
to society. MISA-Zimbabwe notes with concern the divide and rule
tactics that are being employed by the government to scuttle work
towards the setting up of a voluntary Media Council. For a government
that has always accused the media of being irresponsible, supporting
the Voluntary Media Council is the only way to show commitment to
principles of media accountability and professionalism, while protecting
fundamental media and freedom of expression rights. As the record
shows, statutory regulation through the MIC
has only served
to make Zimbabwe a laughing stock regionally and internationally
and has regressed the media in Zimbabwe leaving journalists jobless
and citizens without diverse sources of information. Such
a situation
is unhealthy for a country that desires to be seen as a democracy.
MISA-Zimbabwe
reiterates its commitment to work with all the media in Zimbabwe,
state owned and private owned, to set up the Media Council as a
contribution to the betterment of the media profession in Zimbabwe.
Loughty Dube
Acting Chairperson
Visit the MISA-Zimbabwe
fact
sheet
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