Voluntary Media Council holds workshop with the Parliamentarians

The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) on Friday 16 March, 2012 held a workshop with members of the Parliamentary Committee on Media, Information and Communication Technology.

Thirty participants who included 12 Members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media, Information and Communication Technology, four parliamentary support staff, VMCZ board members, VMCZ secretariat attended the workshop.

Partner organisations that included the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS), Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) and Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) also attended the one-day workshop at the MontClair Hotel in Juliasdale, Nyanga.

The workshop was organised at the request of the previous committee chairperson, Seiso Moyo, who requested VMCZ to organise a workshop to further conscientise members of the committee on the role of the organisation and the concept of self-regulation.

VMCZ Executive director, Takura Zhangazha, told the participants that Moyo, asked for further engagement between the committee and VMCZ and for VMCZ to update the committee on developments in the media landscape.

Opening the workshop Portfolio Committee chairperson, Settlement Chikwinya, described the meeting as a favourable occasion, for VMCZ and members to take time to deliberate on the issue of media self-regulation.

Chikwinya said the presence of both parties to the workshop was a reaffirmation of the commitment both parties showed to nation building and the advancement of the people of Zimbabwe's lives.

Chikwinya acknowledged the role played by the VMCZ in organising the workshop and said it was an acknowledgement of the importance of legislators and of the committee system in the process of law making in the country.

Chikwinya said he was pleased that the VMCZ was made up of stakeholders from across the media divide. He said this showed there is  need  for media self-regulation.

Quoting Miklos Hasraszti, Chikwinya said according to the scholar media regulation is a joint endeavour by media professionals, to set up voluntary editorial guidelines and vowing to abide by them.

"By doing so the independent media accept their share of responsibility for the quality of public dialogue in the nation, while fully preserving their editorial independence in shaping it," Chikwinya said.

At the same time, Chikwinya said self-regulation protects the right of journalists to be independent, and to be judged for professional mistakes not by those in power, but by their colleagues.

He said the Inter-party Political Agreement signed on 15 September 2008 had a range of issues, chief among them being the restoration of freedom of expression and communication.

Chikwinya said as a committee they have had the chance to visit neighbouring South Africa, a country already practicing media self-regulation and hence the issue of self-regulation is not alien to the Committee.

However, he cautioned that the media should make sure that it does not infringe - on purpose - on the rights of fellow Zimbabweans by reporting news that is untruthful and defaming.

Chikwinya said Zimbabwe is well positioned to come up with a robust policy framework on media self-regulation, which other countries in the region can emulate.

The workshop came up with several resolutions where both parties made commitments as follows:

a)  VMCZ will welcome input of honourable members on how to improve its work with the media and the broader Zimbabwean public.
b)  members are welcome to utilise the Media Complaints Council as and when they so wish.
c)  That further dialogue with all stakeholders is important and is welcome.
d)  That written and verbal submissions will be made to the Committee on other examples of self-regulation of the media, particularly in Africa and Sadc outside South Africa, where media is evolving every day.
e)  That VMCZ regularly updates members with its monthly media complaints report.
f)  VMCZ must expand its reach to the poorer communities in the rural areas of Zimbabwe.
g)  Honourable members also actively support members of the media by discouraging colleagues, the public and big business from paying bribes.
h)  In whatever capacity members of committee must enhance the visibility of the VMCZ's work in their communities and avail material for Constituency offices.