New media players and online bloggers have formally adopted a digital code of conduct with the assistance of the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ)
The code of conduct serves to provide basic standards to be observed by digital media practitioners who publish in the public interest in Zimbabwe.
BY TAFADZWA TSEISI
It is hoped that this voluntary code will promote professional and ethical conduct among bloggers so that they disseminate information that is accurate, fair and balanced.
Speaking at a meeting organized by the VMCZ in partnership with Magamba Network to review and adopt the digital media code recently in Harare, blogger Takura Zhangazha said there were concerns on plagiarism and unethical conduct on new media platforms hence the need for a voluntary code and the formation of a Bloggers Association.
“There has been a public outcry on plagiarism against a tendency of some colleagues overlooking ethical considerations by using other Cdes’ work [particularly pictures] without their consent.
“This calls for a bloggers association, a body that will focus on copyrights issues and one that promotes professionalism within the digital media arena,” he said.
Zhangazha also urged digital media to be professional.
“If one’s blog or website is to become popular for wrong reasons, he or she is bound to lose their credibility. So it is critical that we disseminate content that is accurate, fair and balanced as this contributes immensely to credibility,” he said.
The General Standards of the draft code also urges digital media players to be gender sensitive.
“Information shared by new media practitioners should be gender sensitive and balanced, men and women should be treated as equals; as sources, subjects and as audiences.
“Practitioners should be fully aware of the various consequences of sharing information and views online, noting the high speed at which content can become viral and reach mass audiences and as such, they must remain fully conscious of the nature of the medium(s) that they are using and how to use them responsibly,” reads part of the draft Code.
Her Zimbabwe Director, Fungai Machirori, expressed concern on how satirical content will resonate with ethical considerations.
“How does one slot issues on objectivity, truthfulness and fairness on satirical content?” she asked.
Three Men on a Boat founder, Larry Kwirirayi said new online media players should avoid use of surreptitious techniques to gather information.
“There should be a line drawn when one is gathering information with the intent to publish and when two people are having a normal conversation.
“Recording people without their consent and publishing the information is devious and unprofessional,” he said.
VMCZ Executive Director Loughty Dube said the initiative to come up with a code of conduct for new media players and bloggers came against a background for the need for decency in the information published online.
“The essence of this meeting is not to be guided by VMCZ but by new media players themselves and consequently the need of decency in some of the content they publish,” he said.
Sections of the Code also speak to accuracy, fairness, transparency freedom of expression and security of information.
The adoption of the code is a culmination of processes by digital media players who resolved to work in partnership with VMCZ and draft a voluntary code of conduct to promote professionalism and ethics on digital media platforms. The recently adopted digital media code was subsequently drafted by Machirori.
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