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Resolutions
of the Kadoma Conference on a consolidated way forward on media
ethics and professionalism in Zimbabwe
Voluntary
Media Council of Zimbabwe
December 02, 2013
We, media practitioners
and media stakeholders, gathered in Kadoma, Zimbabwe on 29-30 November
2013 to consider establishing a consolidated way forward on media
ethics and professionalism,
Fully cognizant
of the challenges that the media profession in Zimbabwe is faced
with,
Acknowledging
that only concerted and united effort on our part as media professionals
will be key in assisting us to resolve our collective challenges,
Fully intending
to engage the new Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting
Services in the best interests of the media profession and embracing
media self regulation:
Hereby resolve
and commit to the following guidelines and principles going forward:
1. To promote
and defend journalism as a noble profession with best practices
and standards in order to inform, educate and entertain in tandem
with the specific intention to ensure media professionalism, access
to information, ethical reporting and media public accountability
2. To reaffirm the VMCZ
Media Code of Conduct as the fundamental framework that informs
any further debate on media ethics, professionalism and public accountability
3. To actively seek the repealing of all laws that infringe on media
freedom, professionalism, access to information, media self regulation
and media public accountability
4. To support all media organizations, particularly the Zimbabwe
Union of Journalists, that work to promote fair remuneration
and better working conditions for journalists and media workers,
inclusive of the establishment of a National Employment Council
(NEC) for journalists
5. To review media training curricula and attachment programmes
in conjunction with JAMTAZ and ZINEF so as to strengthen training
programmes for individuals who intend on a career in journalism
6. To endeavour to work with new media players on a voluntary code
of ethics/conduct for new media platforms that seek to communicate
in the public interest
7. To endeavour to work with all community radio stations/community
media under the auspices of ZACRAS, to develop a code of ethics
for community media.
8. To amend the VMCZ Media Code of Conduct to include a stand-alone
section on gender and the media.
9. To monitor the media in collaboration with the Media
Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe to measure the media’s
commitment to ethical and professional journalism
10. To engage with all broadcasters (both private and public) in
collaboration with MISA-Zimbabwe on the VMCZ Media Code of Conduct
and how it applies to all forms of media
11. To promote the VMCZ Media Complaints Mechanism as best democratic
practice in relation to media public accountability
12. To develop a media ethics enforcement baseline and where applicable
to correct ourselves as media professionals without waiting for
public complaints against the media
13. To actively campaign and act against sexual harassment in the
media.
14. To establish a workplan on how to achieve all of the above by
February 2014
15. To engage all media owners on all of the above
16. To engage the government of Zimbabwe on all of the above
17. To actively promote and publicize the VMCZ Media Code of Conduct
to the public and broader civil society
Signed:
Voluntary
Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ)
Zimbabwe Union
of Journalists (ZUJ)
Zimbabwe National
Editors Forum (ZINEF)
Media Monitoring
Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
Magamba
Network
Media
Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Zimbabwe)
Zimbabwe
Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS)
Journalist and
Media Trainers Association of Zimbabwe (JAMTAZ)
Visit
the VMCZ fact
sheet
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