News / National
Minister warns exposure of political renegades
17 Jan 2016 at 09:10hrs | Views
INFORMATION, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Christopher Mushohwe has warned his colleagues in the party and Government to stop leaking information discussed in closed door Government and party meetings to the media saying such unprofessional romance should stop forthwith as it is a serious and punishable offence.
He warned those who sit in Cabinet, Politburo and Central Committee meetings who are not mandated by the Government and the party to talk to the media to stop the unethical conduct before they are embarrassingly exposed describing them as political misfits.
Dr Mushohwe also called on the media to desist from taking an alarmist role that desecrates the national security by falsely reporting on sensitive security issues saying the chaotic situation in the Middle East and in Libya was a result of recklessness on the part of certain sections of the society such as the media. He said he would continue advising the media not to create problems for the country.
In an interview with the Sunday News on Thursday, Dr Mushohwe said there was a need for a serious paradigm shift in the country's media where focus should be given more to developmental issues than the current stance where acres of space were given to personalities while issues that foster national development were ignored.
He said it was the media that was supposed to project the country as the best in terms of investment potential and conditions so as to lure investors rather than putting efforts in dissuading them while the country was in dire need of foreign direct investment.
"Our media should first know what issues of national interest are. Issues of development or lack of it should be reported on rather than giving acres of space to individuals. Where there is a need to criticise the Government let it be so because that is the watchdog role of the media. But we are saying the media should stimulate development. It should desist from its alarmist stance where the penchant to sneak into sensitive security issues looks normal, there is nothing normal about that," said Dr Mushohwe.
He added that it was the duty of the media to make sure that the people enjoy peace but said that could not be possible if the media was alarmist, reporting on false information and dissuading investors leading to disinvestment, capital flight, company closures and yet complain of high unemployment rate.
"You are destroying the goose that lays the golden eggs and yet you complain of hunger by not being realistic. The media have to be clear on what matters of national interest are. Why not report on the drought and the steps being taken by the Government, why not report on what should be done with regard to power shortages, educational system, the economy and what should be done to make potential investors see Zimbabwe as the country to invest in? Some of our media have become so obsessed with negativity to the extent that they don't see anything positive done by the Government but one wonders as to who they will be pleasing and for what benefit," he quipped.
Dr Mushohwe said his biggest objective was to depolarise the media and do away with terms such as the private and public media by building bridges between the two and remain with journalists who understand the national interest and who work for the public or private owned media regardless of political affiliation or persuasion.
He said in a recent meeting he had with journalists he asked them to give him any American journalist who had written badly about the American army in Afghanistan or any security issues and they failed.
"I then asked them, what model of media democracy are we, as a country following. I am tempted to believe that it is true when certain sections of our media say there is no rule of law in Zimbabwe. Yes, because if it was there they wouldn't be doing what they are doing now. The Government has been too lenient on the excesses of the media because President Mugabe believes so much in the media and its role. But we cannot continue to sacrifice the country in order to please a few. We should be mindful that more than 150 000 died in the liberation struggle which should be one of the ethos guiding our definition of national interest," he added.
He warned those who sit in Cabinet, Politburo and Central Committee meetings who are not mandated by the Government and the party to talk to the media to stop the unethical conduct before they are embarrassingly exposed describing them as political misfits.
Dr Mushohwe also called on the media to desist from taking an alarmist role that desecrates the national security by falsely reporting on sensitive security issues saying the chaotic situation in the Middle East and in Libya was a result of recklessness on the part of certain sections of the society such as the media. He said he would continue advising the media not to create problems for the country.
In an interview with the Sunday News on Thursday, Dr Mushohwe said there was a need for a serious paradigm shift in the country's media where focus should be given more to developmental issues than the current stance where acres of space were given to personalities while issues that foster national development were ignored.
He said it was the media that was supposed to project the country as the best in terms of investment potential and conditions so as to lure investors rather than putting efforts in dissuading them while the country was in dire need of foreign direct investment.
"Our media should first know what issues of national interest are. Issues of development or lack of it should be reported on rather than giving acres of space to individuals. Where there is a need to criticise the Government let it be so because that is the watchdog role of the media. But we are saying the media should stimulate development. It should desist from its alarmist stance where the penchant to sneak into sensitive security issues looks normal, there is nothing normal about that," said Dr Mushohwe.
"You are destroying the goose that lays the golden eggs and yet you complain of hunger by not being realistic. The media have to be clear on what matters of national interest are. Why not report on the drought and the steps being taken by the Government, why not report on what should be done with regard to power shortages, educational system, the economy and what should be done to make potential investors see Zimbabwe as the country to invest in? Some of our media have become so obsessed with negativity to the extent that they don't see anything positive done by the Government but one wonders as to who they will be pleasing and for what benefit," he quipped.
Dr Mushohwe said his biggest objective was to depolarise the media and do away with terms such as the private and public media by building bridges between the two and remain with journalists who understand the national interest and who work for the public or private owned media regardless of political affiliation or persuasion.
He said in a recent meeting he had with journalists he asked them to give him any American journalist who had written badly about the American army in Afghanistan or any security issues and they failed.
"I then asked them, what model of media democracy are we, as a country following. I am tempted to believe that it is true when certain sections of our media say there is no rule of law in Zimbabwe. Yes, because if it was there they wouldn't be doing what they are doing now. The Government has been too lenient on the excesses of the media because President Mugabe believes so much in the media and its role. But we cannot continue to sacrifice the country in order to please a few. We should be mindful that more than 150 000 died in the liberation struggle which should be one of the ethos guiding our definition of national interest," he added.
Source - sundaymail
