Quality of reforms leaves a lot to be desired

Obituaries
In April 2020, our country celebrates 40 years of existence as a solitary state, therefore, the imperative need to survey our journey so far towards the full realisation of freedom of expression, the right of access to information and freedom of the media .

BY TABANI MOYO

In April 2020, our country celebrates 40 years of existence as a solitary state, therefore, the imperative need to survey our journey so far towards the full realisation of freedom of expression, the right of access to information and freedom of the media .

My task here is to give you an eagle’s view of the Zim Media21 programme. The hybrid programme is guided by three major strategic goals namely:

l Information and communication gap narrowed in targeted marginalised rural and urban communities, with youth’s and women’s voices amplified and participation increased; l Targeted media professionally and financially strengthened to provide high-quality public interest content with a balanced presence of women and men; and l Citizen and rights centred media policy and law reform, and protection of safe journalistic working conditions, supported and enhanced It is, therefore, in our view, that only with full and active participation by the community, can we have an involved community and an empowered community, one that is not afraid to voice their concerns and articulate their needs, a community that has a say in the formulation and implementation of goals at individual, family, community and societal levels.

In this way, we shall see the creative power of the community at work, creating a better society for us all.

We shall see the change at a local level impacting on the province and the entire country, bringing into being the caring nation we speak so much about.

For this to happen, we need to establish the enduring foundation of narrowing the information and communication gaps in marginalised rural and urban communities through amplifying “somewhat forgotten voices” and informed participation in the national decision-making processes.

This is of paramount importance as communities face a daring existential crisis today than ever due to persistent humanitarian disasters, the ravaging effects of climate change that are altering communities’ practises, survival and relentlessly perusing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s.

It is only through a responsive access to information regime that we mitigate vulnerabilities among communities.

Through the Zim Media 21 programme, we seek to close the gap and create linkages between access to communication platforms and community related issues.

In this light, we therefore call upon the government to play an active role towards unlocking the entry avenues into the communities.

For example, when the consultants engaged to conduct the survey on media use in Zimbabwe, the project researchers were stopped from collecting information in Masvingo by Central Intelligence Organisation officials in the province, thereby depriving the report of the much needed media consumption patterns in the province.

The second strand of the project is aimed at developing a resilient media that is sustainable through professionalism, innovation, gender mainstreaming, investigative journalism, fact-checking and placing access to information at the centre of attending to our developmental needs as a country.

Knowledge is increasingly recognised as a valuable resource, and effective information collection and dissemination has become a defining feature of the global economy.

This ideas market can enable us to further our developmental needs in a new way and to empower the citizenry through a two-way exchange of information.

And that the nerve centre of this global knowledge economy is a vibrant and sustainable media.

Lastly, a double barrelled approach towards law-making and enjoyment of the same rights by the citizens is critical.

Media Alliance of Zimbabwe stakeholders have played an active role in the on-going law reform process, as strategic partners of the government.

But this whole process will be futile if it does not, in any way, unlock the utility benefits for the citizens especially in this age of multi-layered crisis of climate change, humanitarian crisis and governance.

Further, allow me to express our grave concerns to you minister on the rising number of journalists and citizens being assaulted, harassed, detained and attacked for expressing themselves and exercising journalistic rights respectively by political parties on one hand and law enforcement agencies on the other hand with impunity.

This breeds a dangerous culture of not valuing information and knowledge in decision-making, which makes our existence less competitive compared to other nations.

Further, for the country to leap forward, it requires a genuine community radio broadcasting regime: by, with and for the community rather than on behalf of the community.

And, for the avoidance of doubt — the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe remains concerned about the quality of reforms especially pertaining to the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) Amendment Bill; Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) Bill and Freedom of Expression Bill which are yet to reach the best standards threshold.

We have made detailed submissions pertaining to the same and continue to call upon the Ministry to stand guided by regional and international best standards in attempts to reform the laws governing expression, Access to Information (ATI) and freedom of the media.

In conclusion, minister, we cordially request for your intervention in the creation of an enabling environment for this project and that of the exercise of the rights to expression, access to information, freedom of expression and right to privacy through communicating the collaborative role and symbiotic working relationship that we share.

l Thabani Moyo is the chairperson of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe. He made these remarks at the official launch of the Zim Media21 programme in Harare last week