'Govt committed to eradicate polarisation of the media'

Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo said Government was committed to eradicate polarisation of the media.

"The Government recognises that the media has a very important role to play in coming up with a common or generally shared position on these issues (nation building and mechanisms of achieving that).

"The Government has been in office for seven weeks and we have given priority to the media to first make ourselves available against a backdrop of a very difficult period we are coming from as Zimbabweans of a highly polarised environment to begin with and more precisely the media environment," he said.

Prof Moyo said Government wanted to eliminate the continued reference to public or private media as this did not add any value but was meant to cast aspersions on the media houses.

"Zimpapers, AMH, Modus Publications and ANZ are, in fact, respectable media houses in Zimbabwe and there is none of them who is better than the other by definition or by name," he said.

"They all met the requirements of law to exist and they have a right to engage in the business which they are doing and so why smear them or any one of them through a label that has nothing to do with the content or their material."

Prof Moyo said newspapers should now be distinguished by their content and not their ownership structure.

Prof Moyo has since his re-appointment showed his commitment to work with all the stakeholders in developing the country's media sector and ending polarisation.

He has toured various media houses in the country, held consultative meetings and pledged to create an environment where both the public and private media will be driven by the common goal of setting the agenda for the country's development.