The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) has launched prestigious professional Journalism awards which are aimed at motivating ethical reporting .
The two awards namely “The Story of The Year” and “Most Professional Media House” will be held every November starting this year.
VMCZ Vice Chairperson and Board member Cris Chinaka at the event held in Harare last week to announce the development said they want to improve the deteriorating reportage the country is experiencing hence the introduction of the award.
“There is a very serious violation of ethics now, and there is no questions about that .I think we all need serious introspection as journalists. To have a frank discussion about the state of our profession and this part of this discussion which must lead to recognizing where we have done well,”said Chinaka.
Chinaka acknowledged that profession of journalism had been eroded by both political and businesses interests and challenged the public to advocate for media freedom.
“Journalists serve the public and it is the responsibility of the public to cry out loud and demand that politicians and business people must not interfere with the profession of journalism. Journalists should be independent and should not be told what to or what not to report on by anyone,”he said.
VMCZ said winners of the prestigious award will pocket no less than $1000 in cash.
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