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This article participates on the following special index pages:
2008 harmonised elections - Index of articles
Prime-time
Daily Monitoring Report No.25
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
April 12, 2008
Summary
ZBC
continued to avoid any programming outside its news bulletins that
would have helped the public understand the reasons why the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission was still withholding the presidential election
results, now more than two weeks after polls closed. Independence
Day celebrations however, continued to receive some attention.
Current
Affairs programmes
At 0630hrs,
Spot FM aired a seven-minute biography of Leopold Takawira in celebration
of the country's independence. The biography highlighted his
contributions to the liberation struggle.
There were no programmes
on ZTV or Spot FM (outside the news bulletins) that attempted to
address the issue of the delayed presidential election results.
Nor did the stations even investigate allegations of vote-rigging
that ZANU PF has leveled against the opposition MDC and some ZEC
officials. This failure to address issues of immense public interest
and importance continues to expose the national public broadcaster's
total lack of any sense of duty to the nation - and the complete
absence of even the most basic journalistic instinct.
Politically
influenced music
Spot FM
continued airing music with political content in preparation for
the commemoration of Independence Day on April 18. The station played
five songs for a total time of 23 minutes. Fig 1 below shows detail
of the time allocation and frequency of political music on ZTV and
Spot FM.
Fig
1: Time allocated to politically influenced music on Spot FM
| Song
/Musician |
Track
frequency |
Total
time allocation |
| Aluta
Continua (Miriam Makeba) |
1 time |
5 minutes |
| Tochemera
Nyika (Chinx) |
1 time |
3 minutes |
| Nyika Yedu
YeZimbabwe (Mutukudzi) |
1 time |
6 minutes |
| Pemberai
Pemberai (Mutukudzi) |
1 time |
4 minutes |
| Tachema
chema (Zexie Manatsa) |
1 time |
5 minutes |
| Total
|
5
times |
23
minutes |
Political
advertising
ZTV aired
eight one-minute independence advertisements that celebrated the
country's independence as well as paying tribute to the liberation
war heroes. The dominant message in the advertisements was, "Celebrating
28 years of independence. 18 April, Our pride, Our economic empowerment,
Our land, Our sovereignty. Celebrating 28 years of independence".
As noted in Report No.24, the ads reflected the main issues promoted
in ZANU PF's election campaign thereby indirectly campaigning
for the party.
Visit the MMPZ
fact
sheet
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