ZEC, media commission set up committee to monitor election coverage

Pressure on elections body to call out state media bias, ensure equal coverage for opposition

Pen mightier ... journalists urged to use the pen not to inflame the situation

HARARE – Media organisations will be monitored to ensure they “promote free flow of information to enable citizens to make informed decisions” in August’s general elections, the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) said Monday.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) will chair a media monitoring committee, ZMC chairman Professor Ruby Magosvongwe told a news conference in Harare.

The formation of the committee appears to have been prompted by court judgements and complaints by opposition parties of state media bias or lack of coverage, despite a constitutional obligation to be fair and balanced.

ZMC did not, in its statement, explicitly call for fair coverage, although Magosvongwe said the media “is expected to provide a communication platform between the contestants and the voters.”

“By providing such a platform for public debate, scrutiny and informing the public of the policies of candidates and political parties, the media enables voters to judge for themselves and make informed decisions when they cast their votes or ballots,” he said.

“In line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, the ZEC will soon be setting up a Media Monitoring Committee to monitor the coverage of the 2023 harmonised general elections.”

The committee will comprise ZMC and the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) and be chaired by ZEC.

Mugosvongwe said an elections reporting and peace journalism manual had been compiled by ZEC for distribution among journalists.

ZMC said it would also train 1,000 journalists on peace and “conflict-sensitive journalism” as Zimbabwe readies for the August 23 general election, with fears of yet another disputed outcome.

The media body said it was also interested in “enhancing the security of journalists during the elections period.”

Mugosvongwe added: “To that end, the ZMC will be engaging different stakeholders to have an appreciation of the work that journalists do. We therefore call upon stakeholders to respect the profession, allow journalists to work without undue hindrances.

“Similarly, we call upon our media players to conduct themselves professionally. This is not the time for agenda driven journalism, fake news, misinformation, disinformation and other examples of poor journalism have no place in a functional democracy. Hate speech is abhorrent and cannot be acceptable.”