We, media practitioners and media stakeholders, gathered in Kadoma, Zimbabwe on 29-30 November 2013 to consider establishing a consolidated way forward on media ethics and professionalism,
Fully cognizant of the challenges that the media profession in Zimbabwe is faced with,
Acknowledging that only concerted and united effort on our part as media professionals will be key in assisting us to resolve our collective challenges,
Fully intending to engage the new Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services in the best interests of the media profession and embracing media self regulation:
Hereby resolve and commit to the following guidelines and principles going forward:
1. To promote and defend journalism as a noble profession with best practices and standards in order to inform, educate and entertain in tandem with the specific intention to ensure media professionalism, access to information, ethical reporting and media public accountability
2. To reaffirm the VMCZ Media Code of Conduct as the fundamental framework that informs any further debate on media ethics, professionalism and public accountability
3. To actively seek the repealing of all laws that infringe on media freedom, professionalism, access to information, media self regulation and media public accountability
4. To support all media organizations, particularly the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, that work to promote fair remuneration and better working conditions for journalists and media workers, inclusive of the establishment of a National Employment Council (NEC) for journalists
5. To review media training curricula and attachment programmes in conjunction with JAMTAZ and ZINEF so as to strengthen training programmes for individuals who intend on a career in journalism
6. To endeavour to work with new media players on a voluntary code of ethics/conduct for new media platforms that seek to communicate in the public interest
7. To endeavour to work with all community radio stations/community media under the auspices of ZACRAS, to develop a code of ethics for community media.
8. To amend the VMCZ Media Code of Conduct to include a stand-alone section on gender and the media.
9. To monitor the media in collaboration with the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe to measure the media’s commitment to ethical and professional journalism
10. To engage with all broadcasters (both private and public) in collaboration with MISA-Zimbabwe on the VMCZ Media Code of Conduct and how it applies to all forms of media
11. To promote the VMCZ Media Complaints Mechanism as best democratic practice in relation to media public accountability
12. To develop a media ethics enforcement baseline and where applicable to correct ourselves as media professionals without waiting for public complaints against the media
13. To actively campaign and act against sexual harassment in the media.
14. To establish a workplan on how to achieve all of the above by February 2014
15. To engage all media owners on all of the above
16. To engage the government of Zimbabwe on all of the above
17. To actively promote and publicize the VMCZ Media Code of Conduct to the public and broader civil society
Signed:
Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ)
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ)
Zimbabwe National Editors Forum (ZINEF)
Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
Magamba Network
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Zimbabwe)
Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS)
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