A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS

A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS In the month of July, 2016 the United Nations Economic Social Council (ECOSOC) voted to grant consultative status to an independent non-profit organization called the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an organization that promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the rights of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal. Out of the 54 council member states, 40 voted in favour of, 6 Abstained, 3 were not present and 5 VOTED AGAINST. What the granting of this “consultative status” means is that the CPJ has been given access to all of the UN bodies that are open to NGOs, including the General Assembly and significantly the Human Rights Council. This access gives the CPJ a louder voice at the highest international level by activities such as delivering statements and holding side events at the UN. The saying a picture says a thousand words could not be more apt when exploring the issues of press freedom and the protection of journalists in Zimbabwe given the image above. This image of members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s (ZRP) anti-riot unit assaulting a journalist while he was covering peaceful demonstrations in Harare on the 3rd of August 2016 says emphatically a thousand times over which way Zimbabwe’s vote went in the vote to grant the CPJ consultative status. This image strongly emphasises the Zimbabwean regime’s stance towards press freedom. This image tells a thousand times of the regime’s unwillingness to allow the people of Zimbabwe and the world at large to be informed of what is taking place in Zimbabwe. While the Constitution of Zimbabwe stipulates in Section 61 that “every person has the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom to seek, receive and communicate ideas and other information..,” this image tells us loud and clearly how the regime feels about you and me seeking, receiving and communicating ideas and other information. The regime’s heavy hand against press freedom emanates from their entrenched views that are in conflict with Section 61 of the Constitution. The regime’s view is that journalism and ultimately information imparted should be dictated to the citizenry in a manner in which the government is comfortable with, lest we be led astray by those forces hell bent on misguiding the Zimbabwean people by providing information other than that which sings their praises. This has been made evident by the victimization, including verbal abuses, of independent media and their journalists as well as the inaction of officials to protect said journalists from being attacked either verbally or in some cases physically whilst they are covering events most particularly those of a political or socio-economical nature. This picture of a thousand words sheds light as to why and how the regime has not made any efforts towards the repealing of repressive laws such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) which gives the information minister sweeping powers to decide which publication can operate legally and who is able to work as a journalist, or the Interception of Communications Act (ICA) which allows the authorities to intercept telephonic and electronic communications and to monitor their content to prevent a “serious offense” or a “threat to national security.” Laws which government should be making strides to abolish as they are in actual fact hindering the development of democracy in our country and have absolutely no place in any democratic society. This telling image gives an indication as to how Zimbabwe, in 2015, scored a Press Freedom Score of 70 (0 being the best and 100 being the worst) with the Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world. This picture tells how mindful and wary the regime is of the importance of a free press in the pursuit of a democracy. Media has been said to contribute directly to democratisation and governance by serving as a watch-dog, promoting accountability and transparency. A free press has also been said to contribute indirectly to human development by encouraging government responsiveness to public concerns. What this picture therefore tells us is that the regime is against any such platform that would render them answerable. This sort of journalism that questions the authorities and seeks to hold them answerable to their actions is distasteful in the mouths of the regime in which we live under. What this picture tells us in overall is that the plight of journalists in Zimbabwe is of an extreme and overt nature. With this wave of protests that have swept the nation, more consideration and appreciation should be directed towards these journalists who tirelessly strap up their cameras and put their safety on the line, amidst the watchful eye of the brutal and relentless baton stick wielding policemen, ready to pounce on them like vicious attack dogs would on intruders, all for the sake of letting the nation and the rest of the world at large be informed of the real truth that is taking place in our beloved country. A country that essentially voted against guaranteeing their protection and safety while they carry out their enormously undervalued tasks of informing the world. References CPJ Press Releases: UN committee grants CPJ accreditation https://cpj.org/x/693d Pippa Norris 2008: The Role of the Free Press in Promoting Democratization, Good Governance and Human Development Wo e ’s I ter atio al League for Peace & Freedo : The Perks of Ha i g Co sultati e Status ith the UN http://wilpf.org Freedom House: Freedom of the Press, Zimbabwe https://freedomhouse.org