State Media|THE Zimbabwe Newspapers Group’s publications and radio stations do not have an editorial policy to cover the opposition parties negatively but report issues in a balanced manner for national interest, one of the editors said yesterday.
The Chronicle Editor Innocent Madonko told members of the Parliamentary Portfolio on Information, Media and Broadcasting Services who were touring Zimpapers Bulawayo Branch that the group’s publications strive to balance their reporting in the national interest.
The committee members also toured ZBC’s Montrose Studios.
The committee is chaired by MDC-Alliance Binga North MP Prince Dubeko Sibanda and its members posed questions to senior editors and managers of both Zimpapers and ZBC as part of their oversight role.
Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya quizzed Zimpapers on whether it was part of national interest to cover the opposition parties negatively.
MP Chikwinya was following up on Zimpapers chief executive officer Mr Pikirayi Deketeke’s response to a question from one of the committee members during their tour of the group’s Harare branch when he said the group’s editorial policy looks after national interests first.
“What Mr Deketeke said is correct but it does not mean we have to cover the opposition in bad light. There is no policy that says we have to cover the opposition in bad light. We do not interpret national interest to mean covering the opposition in bad light. I will speak for The Chronicle, we always try to balance our stories. A story is never balanced until you speak to both parties and if you feel like we have not done justice to a story you are free to bring a complaint and say you did not adequately cover us in that respect,” said Madonko.
He said the Access to Information Bill will open up the media space and create room for competition thereby improving quality.
Madonko said in his view co-regulation was best for the media space in the country.
“I believe that co-regulation can work in an environment that we have. I believe Government has a role to play but at the same time the profession has to regulate itself because I believe we are capable of doing that. Self-regulation is what the media has been clamouring for over the years. Government has always said media should regulate itself as a profession just like lawyers and accountants do but due to certain issues of malpractice in the profession, Government has been forced to regulate,” said Madonko.
He said the Access to Information Bill will create room for competition which will ultimately improve quality.
Madonko said the Bill will also encourage plurality of voices being advocated for by President Mnangagwa’s administration as it enhances democracy.
Sunday News Editor Limukani Ncube said Zimpapers is ready for changes in the media space as it was re-equipping itself with machinery as well as conducting staff development.
Zimpapers Digital and Publishing Division General Manager Mr Marks Shayamano who was part of the meeting said the future of the media was in convergence and media institutions should be allowed to take that right.
“What happens is that if we look at the market, take for instance the South African market, the strongest media house has got almost everything. It allows people to have better access to information. It will also create competition as everyone would want to be best with the product instead of having a situation where there is one player who would just produce anything fully knowing they have no competition,” said Mr Shayamano.
Meanwhile, some of the topical issues that emerged at ZBC Montrose Studios include promoting indigenous languages by the national broadcaster.