Back to Index

This article participates on the following special index pages:

MDC applauds Media Conference as positive first step
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
May 11, 2009

The MDC applauds the inclusive government for the Media Conference held in Kariba at the weekend which we hope will set the tone for media reforms which are an imperative if Zimbabwe is to become a true democracy.

Though the conference was blighted by the justified absence of some key players in the media industry, we note with approval and satisfaction the readiness of the ministry of Media, Information and Publicity to play an active part in the changing times by partaking in a constructive and profitable process which should lead to a multiplicity of media players so that we give Zimbabweans the wide choices they deserve.

Of particular interest is among other issues, the noble intentions of repealing AIPPA and other retrogressive laws, emphasis being of ZBC shifting from being state media to being public media as this would help the editorial policy to be public oriented and to reflect the will of the people as opposed to the will of politicians who may come and go.

As the Minister of Information rightly noted, the polarization of the past must spur the media, especially the public media, to begin to play their oversight role and not to be appendages of the First Estate. The media must checkmate other sectors including politics and must not themselves be engrossed in retrogressive habits such as unbridled propaganda and hate speech.

We believe that media players must take advantage of the changing environment to reclaim their rightful place and to exploit the new and exciting opportunities that come with a changing society; a society rebuilding itself after decades of monopoly and exclusivity. A society that wants to build a pluralistic and diverse media environment so that Zimbabweans can make informed decisions.

The obtaining environment where the true story of Zimbabwe is told by foreign stations such as the SABC and e-tv is a negation of the very sovereignty that some of us had turned into a slogan in the past five years. The very fact that those foreign broadcasting stations have more viewer ship than the ZBC is an indictment on our industry. It is a challenge which the inclusive government, through the ministry of Media, Information and Publicity, must confront and remedy as a matter of urgency.

Media reform is not only an imperative reform as captured in the Global Political Agreement signed by the three major political players on 15 September 2008. Media reforms are also cited as a key performance area for the ministry of Media, Information and Publicity at the Victoria Falls retreat hosted by the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, the Right Honourable Morgan Tsvangirai. We want to see the change now!!!

The MDC hopes that Zimbabweans will begin to see real action and real change on the ground. The Herald, the ZBC and other media must begin to actualize and translate into reality the vision as articulated by the Minister; vision of diversity, tolerance and multiplicity of voices in both print and electronic media. The MDC hopes that the conference in Kariba results in tangible deliverables reflected by a plural media environment characterized by many daily newspapers, community radio stations and multiple broadcasting stations. We must give Zimbabweans a choice. We must give Zimbabweans a media buffet from which they will feast on the diverse happenings in our country.

The MDC is a party of excellence. We believe that the continued detention of media, civic and political activists blights any work towards democratization. The continued persecution of journalists is an indictment undermining the positive integrity and value of the conference. We call for the immediate release of all activists so that together, we chart the way forward for a free and independent diverse media which is a primary ingredient in the making of any democracy.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP