Critical Minds for Critical Times: Supporting Investigative Journalism in Zimbabwe.
A presentation to the VMCZ ‘Bornwell Chakaodza Memorial Lecture’ for World Press Freedom Day Week.
Thursday 4 May 2017
Rainbow Towers Hotel, Harare, Zimbabwe
Cde Chairperson,
Let me begin by thanking you for the invitation to deliver this years World Press Freedom Day Bornwell Chakaodza’s Memorial Lecture. The global theme, ‘Critical Minds for Critical Times, Media’s Role in Advancing Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies’ is very apt to Zimbabwe’s context. So too is the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) sub theme of ‘Investigative journalism as an important cornerstone of media professionalism and sustainability in the era of fake news and digital disruptions’.
And I will come to these specific points later on in my presentation. Let me begin by highlighting why in general I refer to Bornwell and his journalism as having been of a critical and investigative nature beyond his written stories and articles. And I will use two examples of my own personal interaction with him while I worked for MISA Zimbabwe and when I also worked for this equally respected organisation, the VMCZ.
In the first, it was in a a meeting that was discussing the formation of a national editors forum convened by MISA Zimbabwe. Bornwell was one of the editors present in the meeting and apart from one of the participants who had been dozing, waking up from his slumber and accusing Bornwell and some others of ‘waffling’, it was a meeting that progressively led to key strides towards an editors forum being formed. And I am glad that the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum is still thriving to this day.
The second incident was one in which Chakaodza chaired was deputy chair of the VMCZ and we had to discuss the possibility of the latter becoming a member of the Zimbabwe Media Commission. That is to wish away its own existence. Chakaodza while entertaining vigorous debate on the merits and demerits of effectively ending the life of the media’s own self-regulatory body, confided in me that he was firmly against such a move. In fact he was quite suspicious of it. I am happy to say the majority of VMCZ board members heeded his advice and decided against such a move. Hence the council still thrives today.
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