The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) recently issued
a statement on its coverage of political parties during the current campaign
period of Zimbabwe’s 2018 harmonised election.
This was after opposition political parties decried the high costs that
the state broadcaster is charging for campaign adverts on its single television
station and multiple radio stations.
As is its norm, ZBC went on the defensive and claimed that it had complied with the electoral laws and Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) media regulations.
It also added that it had offered political parties advertising airtime which
if they do not take up, that is pay for, will be forfeited. With the added odd
statement of how the same airtime ‘cannot be banked’. This is probably to mean
that if any of the opposition parties manage to get the money to flight adverts
they cannot get the allotted airtime in retrospect.
The Ministry of Media, Information and Broadcasting Services
(MIBS) permanent secretary and presidential spokespersons George Charamba weighed
in to support the ZBC. He was reported as
derisively saying that the ruling Zanu PF party was paying for its own adverts
while the opposition was failing to put up posters.
And it would appear that should be end of the argument. In reality it should be the beginning of
it. This is because the problems at ZBC
and this election’s coverage are editorial as opposed to ‘advertorial’.
While as it claims, ZBC can have one or two prime time talk
shows about meeting specific candidates or increased portions of electoral
coverage on its 8pm main news bulletin, its coverage of the election in and of itself
has been woefully inadequate. Both for its
singular television station and for all of its radio stations.
From an editorial perspective and point of view, the state broadcaster
is still evidently biased in favour of the ruling Zanu PF party. While it may deny this, the proof remains in
the pudding. News content and the live broadcasts
of rallies/ meetings are heavily in favour of the ruling party. While ZBC may claim that the opposition parties
do not give them schedules of meetings, this is not a valid enough reasons for
its reporters and editorial team to find these rallies in order to allow the
public to know what the opposition is up to.
Or at least saying.
Nor is there rolling news coverage of the electoral
campaigns either on TV or radio. That is
to say, news coverage that seeks to regularly and in real time update
Zimbabweans on what candidates, parties are up to. Not as pre-recorded programmes, but live
ones. From any corner of the country and
with any potential candidate. Instead,
in most cases, one has to wait for one main news bulletin at 8 to watch what is
heavily summarised versions of events that should pass as ‘news’.
They may argue that they do not have the funding or capacity
to do so but that again would to be a tad dishonest. They should have been ready to do so. That’s largely
because their role is to serve the public interest. And using public funding (licence fees and
government subsidies). And this public interest
means enabling the greatest possible access to information and free expression
by all Zimbabweans on the electoral process/cycle, candidates and events.
What however is obtaining, and conveniently excused by way
of ‘payment for adverts’, is a carefully choreographed positioning of the state
broadcaster in favour of the ruling party and its leaders. This is not helped by the inadequacies of the
ZEC media liaison committee which appears to believe its role is merely to
monitor media coverage as opposed to enabling a free and fair media environment
that accentuates free expression and access to information. Nor has it ever
sought to bring the media to democratic account for any specific transgressions
(real or imagined). This is despite an assumption that this same committee
takes over a majority of the functions of constitutional Zimbabwe Media Commission
(ZMC).
In essence whatever excuses ZBC is giving either against political
parties or in favour of advertisements, it is not playing tis true public
service broadcasting role. Nor does it
appear to intend to do so in the short and long term. But even if what appears
to be its preferred political party winning the 2018 election, its role will
once again regrettably be to act more to undermine free expression and access
to information. And not just for elections.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity (takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com)
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