Zimbabwe’s media and media related organizations this week,
and correctly so, join the rest of the world in commemorating World Press Freedom Day 2016. They do so, as is their custom by holding various press club
debates, marches, road shows and distributing relevant publicity material to
members of the public. These activities
are a long standing tradition and practice since the early 2000s wherein journalists
and media-related professionals undertake
to show their all important relevance to our national democracy.
Within the context of the 2016 commemorative events our
media environment has undergone a semblance of incremental change. Constitutional court judgments have led to
the striking down of some of criminal defamation laws from our statutes. These
legal developments are regrettably still to translate into a change to the culture of impunity against freedom of expression in our country. Especially where it concerns political and
social media driven expression.
In relation to the functionality of the mainstream media,
the new constitution, while being of incremental importance, has not also come
with change for the slightly better in relation to sustainability. The private print media is currently functioning
on an economic wing and a prayer. The
state controlled and also funded/subsidized media is also facing similar sustainability
challenges though to a lesser extent.
The private radio stations are also barely keeping it together
in a highly competitive environment for what is largely an urban market. They have also chosen to the greater extent
to remain focused on younger audiences and entertainment driven content in
order to maintain what they consider higher levels of market relevance.
Our media organizations, in their various interest areas are
also facing the challenge of grappling with diminishing donor and member
funding or support.
The government on the other hand, appears to be in no rush
to undertake any transformative changes to the media landscape. Both by way of the law as well as the culture
of disdain for freedom of expression and access to information. After somewhat successfully persuading media
stakeholders to the now stalled and probably irretrievable Information and
Media Panel of Inquiry (IMPI) process, government no longer sees any urgency in
broader media reform.
Its functional premise is to treat media freedom as a privilege and not a right. So everywhere, journalists have to retain that caution, and always remember the weight of the state on their backs.
Instead it is focused more on dealing with the matter of
digital migration. This is largely
because that is the only current revolutionary aspect of the media industry at
the moment. The expansion of television
access, its potential profitability and the generation of new media content is
obviously something that the government is keen on controlling.
In all of this, the Zimbabwean media is still faced with challenges
that are no doubt familiar but increasingly muted after the IMPI process. The first and most significant one is regrettably
an internal one. The media still has to
literally claim its space and territory as the fourth estate. Not just by way of reporting and bringing
power to account. But also by way of
strengthening its existent institutions such as the journalists’ unions, editors
forums, media associations and even publishers associations. Without doing so, the media will never be
accorded the respect it duly deserves. Even in as incremental a democracy as
has become ours.
Secondly, all media stakeholders are faced with the challenge
of not having a holistic and shared understanding of the future of the impact
of digitization on the media. Not just
in relation to television and radio but also the expanding and inevitably influential
role that the internet shall have on Zimbabwean society. Any inability to face this tackle and
challenge head on will lead in part to the media and its key stakeholders being
left to play second fiddle to commercial interests in the industry.
In the third instance, the media has to begin to think much
more creatively about its sustainability in our current economic and social
context.
State and donor funding for the
mainstream media is showing no sings of immediate improvement. Treating the media solely as a business as opposed
to matching that with a clear public interest role is going to be the sine qua
non of many media owners going forward. In
this, journalists shall be compelled to become more in tune with the thinking of
the publishers and only oppose them at the risk of losing their jobs. Media stakeholders need to examine new ways
of media sustainability and ownership/shareholding that takes into greater
account the media’s public interest and promotion of democratic government
role. This includes state funded and state controlled media.
In the final analysis however it is the fact of Zimbabwe’s media
and its stakeholders standing by the democratic values and principles that establish
the fourth estate that may move long awaited reforms a little faster. If not with the government, then at least
with the broader national public understanding and support.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity
(takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment