Staff Writer
The Zimbabwe Media Commission has called for professional and responsible online media which promotes free flow of information and content which enables our citizens to make informed decisions.
Speaking at a two-day National Media Indaba for online content creators in Kariba Monday, the ZMC chairperson Professor Ruby Magosvongwe said the commission was elated that the industry managed to come up with an organisation like ZOCC in a bid to continuously professionalise and make it accountable to its ethics.
“In line with its mandate, in a democratic country like ours, and within its Constitutionally-defined framework as the Regulator of the Media Industry in Zimbabwe, whose functions include the duty to uphold, promote and develop freedom of the media, to promote and enforce good practices and ethics in the media, and to promote fair competition and diversity in the media, the ZMC has in partnership with UNESCO organised the present Online Content Creators National Indaba to ensure that this new kind of media plays its role professionally to promote and uphold democracy as well as to inform the citizenry,” Prof Magosvongwe said.
“Further, regarding the upcoming plebiscite, the Commission is particularly interested in seeing a professional and responsible online media which promotes free flow of information and content which enables our citizens to make informed decisions. A media that does not feed fake news, hate speech and disinformation.”
She said the media as the fourth estate was expected to provide a platform for public debate, scrutiny and informing the public of current affairs, government policies, breaking news so as to play its role within society.
“The media provides a platform for debate among candidates during the electoral period by allowing candidates to communicate their messages to the electorate, and reporting on campaigning developments.
“The role of the media should be to inform voters on how to exercise their rights and monitor the electoral process,” she said.
The “new” ZMC Board was appointed in October 2020. Prior to the appointment of the Board, the Commission had been running without a Board of Commissioners for a period of five years with the previous Board’s tenure having expired in February 2015.
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