SECTOR 1

Scores:
Individual scores:
1

Country does not meet indicator

2

Country meets only a few aspects of indicator

3

Country meets some aspects of indicator

4

Country meets most aspects of indicator

5

Country meets all aspects of the indicator

Average score:

2.8 (2012 = 3.9; 2010 = 2.9; 2008 = n/a;
2006 = n/a)

1.10 Civil society in general and media lobby groups
actively advance the cause of media freedom.
A number of civil society organisations actively advance the cause of media
freedom in Zimbabwe. Most notable among them are the Media Institute of
Southern Africa (MISA) - Zimbabwe, the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe
(VMCZ), Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) and the Zimbabwe
Union of Journalists (ZUJ).
However, although there is broad satisfaction with the work of these organisations,
several gaps require redress.
“There hasn’t been much in terms of advocacy for media laws, especially in terms
of their alignment to the new Constitution. This shows there are some gaps to
be addressed in terms of civil society in pushing the state to align these laws.”
Importantly, MISA Zimbabwe has been more engaging and has started packaging
its messages in a way that is more accessible to everyone. The organisation has
also been “very visible” on the issue of broadcasting digital migration, and was
actively engaged in activities surrounding the recent efforts to have the criminal
defamation act scrapped from the statute books.
The Media Alliance of Zimbabwe has also been active, and has come up
with a number of programs. “Their documents are being used regionally and
internationally to support the work that these different organisations are doing.”

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AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZIMBABWE 2015

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