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Economic decline
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
Extracted from Weekly Media Update 2007-45
Monday November 12th - Sunday November 18th 2007
November 23, 2007

The government media glossed over Zimbabwe's economic crisis with optimistic reports portraying government's interventionist programmes as succeeding in turning around the economy. Most of the 129 reports that they carried on the economy (ZBC [62] and official papers [67]) touted various government initiatives to address power shortages, recapitalise industry, provide agricultural inputs and stabilise prices, among others, as proof of the government's tireless efforts to address the country's economic fortunes.Underpinning this celebratory coverage was the government media's extensive reportage of the commissioning of the bio-diesel plant in Mt Hampden. The Herald (15&16/11), ZTV (15/11, 8pm) and Chronicle (16/11), for example, only emphasised the expected benefits of the project - which they claimed would produce 100 million litres of bio-diesel when operating at full capacity - without questioning whether Zimbabwe had the capacity to produce enough oil seed to feed the plant. They also tried to present the project as an immediate solution to the fuel crisis without explaining that this was a long term project that would take time to bear fruit considering that government's intended major source of oil seed, the Jatropha plant, takes time to mature.

The government media's passive endorsement of government's ad hoc interventionist actions often led to distortions as illustrated by ZTV (15/11, 8pm). While its headline announced farmers from Mashonaland West farmers as commending the government-run Operation Maguta for providing them with inputs, the farmers it quoted lamented the unavailability of both maize seed and fertiliser. The unquestioning nature of the government media equally manifested itself in their coverage of indicators of economic decline such as increases in power tariffs and shortages of cash, basic commodities and farming inputs. These stories were piecemeal and reported in isolation of government's culpability in the economic meltdown. Notably, the government media ignored news that inflation had nearly doubled to 14 850 percent up from 7 982 in September.

The government media's superficial handling of the topic was reflected in their over use of official voices as shown by ZBC's voice sourcing pattern. See Fig 4.

Fig 4: Voice distribution on ZBC

The private media were forthright about the country's economic woes and their causes in the 51 reports they carried on the subject (private electronic media 21 and private papers 30). The stories mostly highlighted symptoms of economic decline, which they attributed to government's failed policies. For example, the private media continued to criticise the National Incomes and Pricing Commission (NIPC) instructions to industry to sell their imported products by November 22nd after which the commission would "impose tightened price controls" as a recipe for even emptier shelves. In fact, the Zimbabwe Independent (16/11) revealed that while NIPC chairman Godwills Masimirembwa was calling on businesses to observe government's price controls, he was selling chickens from his farm at $1.5 million per bird, way above the gazetted retail price of $573 628 per kilogramme. The paper, Studio 7 (16/11) and New Zimbabwe (17/11) reported the rise in inflation and cited analysts describing the trend as reflecting a "failed economy".

Figs 5 and 6 show the voice distribution in the private media.

Fig: 5 Voice distribution in the private Press

Fig 6: Voice distribution in the private electronic media

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