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So, someone asked: “your take on the state of journalism today?”
Tough question with no easy answer. But there are three main issues: Politics, economy and journalists themselves.
So, someone asked: “your take on the state of journalism today?”
Tough question with no easy answer. But there are three main issues: Politics, economy and journalists themselves.
First, it’s tough being a critical journalist in Zimbabwe, as the whole world knows right now. Hopewell is basically serving a prison sentence as we speak. @Mathuthu, a fine journo and friend, had to go into hiding and his family has been violated. Respect.
So, straight away, you see that in this environment, journalists cannot fully explore their profession and their potential. There’s loads of self censorship. A lot of foreign correspondents cover Zim in a way that locals can’t. They can go home. We get to stay here nema comrades
It’s not an excuse for bad journalism, but it’s a factor to consider when judging the media. Imagine soccer players being told they can’t score a certain amount of goals, or forced to play with legs tied together. You’re never going to know how good they are.
Then the economy plays a part too. News organisations just cannot afford to attract or keep the best talent. Many journos go without pay. They end up going into PR or NGOs.
Then there’s mentorship. I tweeted earlier about mentorship. It’s lacking in the newsrooms. Dude comes up, writes a few articles, tweets a lot, and tells themselves they’re a superstar. Likes and Retweets. But there’s no sustainable depth because they have nobody to learn from
There’s also polarisation. It’s a reflection of society. Journos aren’t immune. So, there’s a temptation to pick a side, run with it no matter what. Journalists can be partisan, but it doesn’t mean being unethical; eg ignoring facts, twisting quotes, headlines etc. See this a lot
Let’s also not forget broadcast journalism. We had TV in this country before all of Africa, bar Nigeria. 1955. We still have ONE station. That means an aspiring documentary maker, for example, only has online and foreign platforms as an outlet. That stifles creatives. A lot.
That said, I look around and see loads of great mostly young journalists. @ma_Fafadza is a great financial journo with @ZTNnews. You had @L_JayMut here. @leedzenga @BruciEEye @Briefarie @AngJimu. My fave sports writer is @eno_muchinjo. Many others out there doing great work 
There’s lots to improve. First, our papers are still designed like we’re in the 1990s. Yes, print is ‘dying’, but East African papers really pay attention to design. Goes back again to resources and skills
Second, our newspapers are sometimes slow to adapt to change. Example: when @SirNige started @263Chat, a lot of people in media dismissed them. They were not “real media”. It didn’t take long for newspapers to start trying to keep up and follow their model. Change.
Social media has brought an interesting poser for ‘mainstream media’. They have to go with it, but also not drown in it.
They can’t ignore social media, but they also can’t just pick stuff from here and make it headline news. They have to take the extra step, go beyond tweets.
They can’t ignore social media, but they also can’t just pick stuff from here and make it headline news. They have to take the extra step, go beyond tweets.
Sometimes you see whole front page story based entirely on a tweet. Kind of pointless if many of your readers are also on Twitter and saw the tweets already.
Which brings me to the issue of analysis and commentary.
Which brings me to the issue of analysis and commentary.
Good journalism costs money. But, in Zimbabwe and elsewhere, newspapers are finding out that it’s hard to find a model that works to fund journalism. Paywalls aren’t working for many. Definitely harder in Zimbabwe.
This article is a good read on this https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/future-of-news-summit-paywalls-wont-save-journalism-good-journalism-will-20200730
This article is a good read on this https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/future-of-news-summit-paywalls-wont-save-journalism-good-journalism-will-20200730
But there’s definitely a small sector that’s willing to read stuff beyond headlines. It’s an untapped market.
There’s a market for opinion writing. People want to hear views and opinions and commentary. Of course, like Edna Machirori said, ‘think pieces’ must be based on fact and reason. I think newspapers should invest in training in this area. It may set them apart from other platforms
It’s one of the reasons @nelsonbanya and I decided to start @newswireZW two years ago. We always talked of the need for ‘explainers’ and analysis. Decided to try it ourselves. Still work in progress, and a fulfilling journey of discovery. Just a passion project, hoping to grow
So, if you see some journalism start ups, and if you like what they’re putting out, please support. I believe @zimlive put out an appeal recently. Don’t just read their headlines. Invest in the growth of alternative journalism. It’s good for our democracy and national debate
