The need for an acceptable media policy reform process

The Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) reiterates it’s  position on the reformation of the media in the country, stating that it is key towards building reforms that will be lasting and acceptable to  all media players in Zimbabwe.

The MAZ position which was submitted to the Ministry of Information, emphasizes the substitution of statutory regulation with self regulation, a guarantee of media freedom in a new constitution, the transformation of Zimbabwe Broadcasting Cooperation into a true public broadcaster and the disinvestment of government from the Newspaper industry among other issues.
 
These sentiments were echoed by Andy Moyse, Coordinator of the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ), at a press club discussion hosted by MISA-Zimbabwe on 12 May 2009 titled Media Policy Reform – Mapping the way forward. The main intention of the discussion was to outline the way forward in the reformation of the current media laws and environment in the country following the just ended Media Reform indaba held in Kariba.
 
The other panelists at the discussion were the Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity, Honourable Jameson Timba and Takura Zhangazha, the National Director of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Zimbabwe); both the MMPZ and MISA-Zimbabwe are members of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe. The indaba, held 7-9 May 2009 was boycotted by the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) citing the continued harassment and detention of human rights defenders and journalists in particular freelance journalist, Shadreck Andrisson Manyere. Manyere is charged under section 23 (1), (2) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act which criminalises acts of insurgence, banditry, sabotage or terrorism or alternatively Section 143 of the same Act which relates to aggravating circumstances in relation to malicious damage to property.  He was admitted to bail by Justice Hungwe on 9 April 2009 and released on 17 April 2009, after spending almost 4 months at Chikurubi Maximum Prison, only to be re-detained within two weeks of his release.
 
Zhangazha echoed Moyse’ sentiments and added that MAZ’s boycott of the conference was caused by the fact that the initial conference of 28- 29 March 2009 was organized inclusively and was acceptable, as all  media stakeholders were part of the planning committee which came up with the initial program. He noted that the postponement of the meeting came with governments new programme flooded with media ‘hangmen’ such as Media and Information Commission, Tafataona Mahoso and former Information Minister, Professor Johnathan Moyo.
 
Honourable Timba briefed journalists on the Kariba conference update of the media, highlighting that the conference came up with recommendations which would be used to draw up the new policy gove

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