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Writes Chimeno Azriel
Media practitioners were urged to practice and exercise peace journalism ahead of the August 23 harmonised elections. This was revealed by Mr. Toneo Rutsito, the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Online Content Creators (ZOCC) during the Media and Elections Reporting Training workshop held at Odyssey Lodge in Kadoma on Saturday.
Media practitioners of various newsrooms from Kadoma, Chegutu, and Norton were taken through the paces of Elections Reporting and peace journalism and their expectations in the forthcoming 2023 harmonised elections to be held on Wednesday.
Mr. Rutsito said the media plays a crucial role during elections. He said the media is a platform for voters to access information about their parties, politicians, their candidates as well as the electoral process in order to make informed decisions. During the one-day workshop, Rutsito touched on peace journalism and encouraged journalists to preach peace so that they do not spread hate messages.
“Journalists need to be fair in their coverage of the election and promote peace in their articles. Above all, they should maintain their integrity.
“Media has the responsibility to provide a fair image of all the candidates, and parties while reporting on elections,” Rutsito said.
The media workshop touched on various aspects such as dynamics of election reporting, fact-checking, misinformation and disinformation, security of information, safety and security of journalists, electoral cycle, the role of the media, and peace journalism among other topics.
Zimbabwe Media Commission Head of Research and Development Committee, Commissioner Aleck Ncube, applauded the transformation of the Media Commission under the Second Republic into a noble journalism profession management body.
Commissioner Ncube urged journalists to be well-versed in the electoral laws so that they report accurately.
A media pledge that will guide the conduct of the media in Kadoma when covering the pre, during and post of the August 23 elections was signed during the workshop. Journalists were trained so that they maintain and preserve peace, which is the anchor of any developmental trajectory of a country, and to appreciate the criticality of quality election reporting for entrenching democracy and good governance.
During the workshop, veteran editor, Mr. Rammington Jarijari encouraged journalists to verify sources, fact-check carefully, and be cautious of unverified claims that may harm the citizens.
Zimbabwe has 6.6 million registered voters which represents 46% of the total population who are expected to cast their votes during the 2023 Harmonised elections set to be held on the 23rd of August.