Minister bemoans media polarisation

INFORMATION Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Supa Mandiwanzira has bemoaned the polarisation of the media saying that the media had become Government’s “enemy”.

Minister Mandiwanzira said this while officiating at the opening of the regional media stakeholders meeting convened by the Media Association of Zimbabwe (MAZ) to debate on journalists’ rights infringement in Harare yesterday.

He said certain media stables in the country had become famous for attacking or supporting certain political groups in the country.

“If you are a Zimbabwean and following the media, you will realise that it has become common knowledge that particular stables belong to a particular faction and stories from that paper come from certain ministers and/or politicians.

“What we should be concerned about is that, whoever is bringing the story to the people, is not the certain politician (source). Rather it is the media and you become part of the problem,” he said.

Minister Mandiwanzira criticised journalists, who do not verify facts before publishing stories that could tarnish an individual’s image indicating that they were reckless and getting paid to write certain stories.

He said some journalists were being used by corrupt individuals to implicate and tarnish the images of ministers in the public eye.

“I am now speaking as a journalist; individuals caught on the wrong side of the law in fraud or corruption issues pay journalists to implicate certain ministers in corruption.

“The journalists, who have no regards to facts, do not even bother to check with the parties involved and see if the information they have received is correct. They just go ahead and publish it with no fear whatsoever that they could actually be sued.

“After writing that story you tell them that no, this story is inaccurate and a fabrication and they will do nothing to rectify it or even apologise,” said Minister Mandiwanzira.