US expert tips Zim journalists
A United States media expert has challenged nonprofit journalism to strive for high standards of transparency to gain public trust whilst cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with communities to sustain their work.
“One of the things that really distinguishes nonprofit journalism, in my opinion, it's one of the highest standards, is transparency,” said Lorie Hearn, CEO of inewssource based in San Diego in the United States.
“We pride ourselves on being totally transparent about where we get our money, we list everyone who gives us a contribution on our website; and we are very transparent about our reporting.
“I do not believe there is such a thing as objectivity. There is such a thing as fairness and that's what we have to strive for.”
Hearn made the remarks during a Twitter Spaces panel discussion featuring Zimbabwean veteran journalist Zenzele Ndebele on Wednesday hosted by the United States embassy.
Non-profit journalism operates without the concern of dividends and the need to make a profit.
Most depend on individual donations and or grants to pay for operational expenses.
In 2009, after serving as senior editor at the San Diego
Union-Tribune, Hearn converted the newspaper’s investigative team into a nonprofit organisation — the independent Watchdog Institute.
Hearn emphasised the public service role of non-profit journalism and underscored the importance of community engagement to sustain non-profit journalism.
Non-profit journalism proliferated in the United States in last 15 years as a result of liquidity challenges and other factors affected mainstream media.
There are currently over 350 non-profit journalism ventures in the US with most working in close collaboration with profit making media to provide content.
Ndebele, who runs the Centre for Technology Enterprise in Zimbabwe (CITE), said non-profit journalism was on the ascendancy in Zimbabwe as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and availability of the internet.
He expressed fears that proposed laws to regulate non-governmental organizations in Zimbabwe would impact negatively on their operations.
“I believe the (NGO legislation amendment) proposals are a serious violation of freedom of association and many others,” said Ndebele.
“It’s not going to only affect NGOs that are involved in democracy and good governance work, but also going to affect churches that are registered….and a lot of people in communities in Zimbabwe who are supported by NGOs.
In his remarks, United States embassy charge d’ affaires Thomas Hastings said the Twitter Space discussions would explore key aspects of protecting Free Speech in line with renewed democracy, a key foreign policy priority in the United States.
“These discussions feature American experts sharing their experience grappling with the challenges to freedom of speech, how they have worked to protect freedom of speech, how they have celebrated and embraced the freedom of speech where it exists,” said Hastings.
“Our hope is that the lessons of these American experts will then resonate and be useful with our friends and partners around the world, and of course, here, particularly in Zimbabwe.”