Zimbabwe Media Sustainability Index (MSI)
June 1, 2013
About the MSI
IREX designed the MSI to measure the strength and viability of any country's media sector. The MSI considers all the factors that contribute to a media system—the quality of journalism, effectiveness of management, the legal environment supporting freedom of the press, and more—to arrive at scores on a scale ranging between 0 and 4. These scores represent the strength of the media sector components and can be analyzed over time to chart progress (or regression) within a country. Additionally, countries or regions may be compared to one another. IREX currently conducts the MSI in 80 countries, and began studying Africa in 2006.
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Download Complete Zimbabwe Chapter (PDF): 2012 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2006/07
MSI Zimbabwe - 2012 Introduction
Overall Country Score: 1.73
The 2012 panel discussion was held at a time when Zimbabwe’s media landscape saw some progress toward openness, with the introduction of two new radio stations. However, implementation of meaningful media reforms by the inclusive government has been slow, and the existence of laws that infringe on freedom of expression and access to information has meant that Zimbabwe’s media continue to operate in a restrictive environment.
The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe’s licensing of two new players has broken the monopoly in radio broadcasting that the national broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), has held for many years. Star, a subsidiary of the state-owned Zimbabwe Newspapers Group, went on air officially on June 25, 2012, while ZiFM Stereo, a privately owned radio station owned by AB Communications, went live on August 15, 2012. The stations provide additional access to information outside the capital. Meanwhile, the ZBC continues to dominate television.
In 2012, the government established a Media Council under the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) to create an ethical code, governed by the contradictorily named Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), and to codify punishments for breaches of AIPPA. At the time of writing, the code had not yet been written but was anticipated to introduce new restrictions on the media in advance of upcoming elections.
AIPPA itself includes restrictive registration and licensing procedures for journalists and media outlets and contains sections that the African Commission on Human Rights and local activists describe as unconstitutional. The law would criminalize certain aspects of journalists’ work through vague prohibitions such as “abusing journalistic privileges,” “broadcasting recklessly,” or attempting to report on a government function without a license. Operating without a ZMC license can lead to fines or closure.
The state-owned daily newspapers’ and state television station’s coverage continues to be partisan, and space given to alternative political parties remains minimal. Where parties other than the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) are covered, the coverage is usually negative. Like all other newspapers, the state-owned Zimpapers’ products are confined to the country’s main towns and cities, while their $1 cost is still out of reach for many.
The coalition government partners are preparing for a constitutional referendum and election, while the reforms stated under the Global Political Agreement, which helped establish a governmental power-sharing arrangement in 2009, have barely been implemented. Zimbabwe’s political and media space remains restricted in breach of African Union and Southern African Development Community principles on the holding of free and fair elections.
