The Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance has filed complaints with the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) over ZBC and Zimpapers’ “biased, false and defamatory” coverage ahead of tomorrow’s elections.
BY STAFF REPORTER
According to the Alliance, since the proclamation of election dates, ZBC had been brazenly biased in favour of Zanu PF with media monitoring statistics showing the ruling party was accorded in excess of 70% coverage in news and over 50% in editorial space by ZBC and Zimpapers.
“The MDC Alliance further expresses concern that the limited time, which has been granted to the MDC Alliance by ZBC has been characterised by unfair, unbalanced and in some cases defamatory coverage,” VMCZ’s media complaints committee chairperson, retired Justice George Smith, said in a letter to ZBC.
“Please note that similar concerns have been raised against Zimpapers and the media complaints committee has written to them separately,” reads part of the letter.
In a letter to the Zimpapers editorial executive, Smith said the opposition complained that limited time, which was granted to the MDC Alliance by Zimpapers had been characterised by unfair, unbalanced and in some cases defamatory coverage.
“The MDC Alliance also states that of major concern have been Zimpapers reports, which have allegedly been proven and pronounced to be false, that the MDC-Alliance candidate, Nelson Chamisa, held a meeting with former president Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, in Dubai,” he added.
“They, therefore, state that they are aggrieved that the statements above have yet to be retracted or corrected.” He said the MDC Alliance was requesting that both Zimpapers and ZBC allocate equal time and space for all contesting political parties and that the coverage of the MDC Alliance should be accurate, fair and balanced as well as the retraction and apology for false stories.
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Both ZBC and Zimpapers are yet to respond to the complaints raised by the Alliance.
