US double standards exposed

The United States government has been rapped for its continued meddling in the country's affairs after its local embassy last week hosted an online talk-show where participants took turns to paint a negative picture of the country's media environment.

The talk-show was attended by "media experts" from the US and anti-Government journalists.

In his remarks, United States Embassy Charge d' Affaires, Thomas Hastings, said the online discussions were meant to protect "free speech" in line with the US'  foreign policy priority.

"These discussions feature American experts sharing their experience grappling with the challenges to freedom of speech, how they have worked to protect freedom of speech, how they have celebrated and embraced the freedom of speech where it exists.

"Our hope is that the lessons of these American experts will then resonate and be useful with our friends and partners around the world, and of course, here, particularly in Zimbabwe."

Among the discussants at the talk show that was held on Twitter were regime change acolytes, who have a history of casting the Zimbabwean Government in bad light.

The latest tool the meddlesome US is resorting to appears to be so-called non-profit journalism, which in essence is a sponsored form of journalism that aims to achieve set targets of the sponsors, in this case the US.

Ironically, the Western nations, including the US have in the past accused countries like Russia of interfering in their domestic affairs through cyber-attacks, or electoral manipulation.

However, learning nothing from their experiences and well documented charges against other nations, the United States is apparently determined to influence Zimbabwe's electoral processes.

Political analyst Goodwine Mureriwa said the media has become a useful instrument in the US' destabilisation agenda.

"The unfortunate reality about globalisation, which by the way is in essence imperialism with a new face, is that it has centralised media in the hands of powerful Western counties, particularly social media, an instrument of socio-political and economic hegemony," he said.

"Everyone has become a journalist

and mainly reinforcing the dominant Western interests. Subsequently, national security interests and sovereignty are compromised. There is rampant psychological warfare.

"Target countries, like Zimbabwe, which is reeling under illegal sanctions, have to be bold in enacting laws to maintain their independence. So-called international best practices and international law are just smokescreens of onslaughts to effect regime change in targeted countries."

Another analyst, Mr Donald Muyengwa said "non" profit journalists were now being used by the US government to interfere in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe by sponsoring them to report negatively on certain issues in the country.

"The main aim being to sow divisions and despondency in a country, for example, in Zimbabwe, the issues of rule of law and democracy have become fashionable and many "non-profit" journalists are now very profitable by reporting negatively on these issues.

"In light of this, the proposed law to regulate NGOs is a welcome development and actually long overdue. The US' hypocrisy is astonishing (as) they talk of freedom of press and information but currently are muzzling alternative views like Russia Today (RT )," Mr Muyengwa said.

Another analyst opined that no one has a monopoly of knowledge and the construction of worldviews, for the global arena is an open field of diverse contributions and contestations without restriction.

The analysts agreed that the West, particularly the US should desist from interfering in the affairs of sovereign states and using  well-known functionaries that are pro-regime change by calling them voices of reason.