BY SHARON BUWERIMWE
THE Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa-Zimbabwe) has urged political parties and the police to ensure the safety of media practitioners as they cover the March 26 by-election period and other electoral activities.
Misa-Zimbabwe made the call following a rise in cases of politically motivated violence in the country.
Misa chairperson, Golden Maunganidze expressed concern over the safety of journalists, and called on political actors to desist from inflammatory language targeting media practitioners.
“In that regard, political parties should be on guard against inflammatory rhetoric that has the potential of engendering hostility against journalists in violation of the right to media freedom, which is at the core of citizens’ right to freedom of expression and access to information,” Maunganidze said.
“It is, therefore, the responsibility of political parties and the police to ensure the safety and security of journalists during campaign rallies and at all times.”
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Maunganidze said aggrieved political parties must lodge complaints with media complaints bodies such as the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) instead of attacking journalists.
“Aggrieved parties should lodge their complaints with the VMCZ, Zimbabwe Media Commission or the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for speedy adjudication and resolution of such complaints,” he said.
“They should also be given the right of reply in the event of any misrepresentations by the media.
“This will go a long way in fostering media accountability and professionalism.
“It is also the immense responsibility of journalists to report accurately, truthfully and fairly when covering such events as this is at the core of the profession’s ethics and media credibility and integrity.”
Research has shown that Zimbabwe has one of the most hostile environments against media practitioners.