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ZMC holds strategic planning workshop
MISA-Zimbabwe
May 26, 2010

The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) has been urged to uphold professional standards in journalism and not concede to pressure from media stakeholders to license new media in Zimbabwe.

Officially opening the three-day ZMC strategic planning workshop on 24 May 2010, Minister of Media and Information and Publicity, Webster Shamu said the growth of mass media and information technologies should not be at the expense of quality journalism, citing its commercialization through the setting up of advertising and public relations companies. He also said that the ZMC should avoid focusing on setting up media houses which would churn out substandard media products that would be harmful to societies in terms of education, culture and world outlook.

Minister Shamu also urged ZMC to ensure that all applicants that submit applications for the registration and licensing of media houses and services comply with Zimbabwean laws. All journalists and media houses in Zimbabwe are required to undergo registration processes in accordance to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

The workshop which was initially scheduled to begin on 13 May 2010 was allegedly postponed owing to financial problems and reports on allegations of disagreements among commissioners on resource persons to the workshop.

Background

The Zimbabwe Media commission (ZMC) is set to issue licenses by today, Wednesday 26 May 2010. Papers that await licensing include the banned Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe Daily News and its sister paper, The Daily News on Sunday, The Newsday, published to be by Alpha media and The Daily Gazette which will be published by Modus publications that publishes the weekly The Financial Gazette.

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