Zimbabwe joins other countries around the world in commemorating World Press Freedom Day, also known as World Press Day.
World Press Freedom Day was established in 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly, following a suggestion from UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991.
The day is observed on May 3rd each year and focuses on a different theme.
In 2024, World Press Day’s theme is “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis.”
The purpose of World Press Freedom Day is to highlight the importance of press freedom, and raise awareness about the challenges faced by journalists and media globally, such as threats, arrests, censorship, targeted attacks, and even killings in the line of duty.
The day also serves as a reminder to governments worldwide to ensure the safe growth of media and to protect journalists. However, despite these efforts, governments and their institutions have often been responsible for suppressing media freedom.
Numerous journalists across the world have been killed, harassed, assaulted, and arrested.
Zimbabwe is no exception, as several journalists from privately owned media houses, including freelance journalists, have frequently been denied access to state functions.
Journalists have also been prevented from covering political rallies organized by both the ruling Zanu PF party and the main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change. In February of this year, Minister of State and Devolution Affairs for Midlands Province, Owen Ncube, reportedly banned two journalists from The Mirror (Sydney Mubaiwa) and NewsDay (Stephen Chadenga) from covering government functions in the province and ordered them to leave a meeting organized by the Gender Commission.
While some journalists have been denied access, others have even been arrested by the police while carrying out their duties in the field.
For example, Admire Chitsungo, a freelance journalist based in Kadoma, was arrested and briefly detained at Kadoma Central Police Station. He stated that he was arrested while taking pictures of the local Municipal Police confiscating vendors’ merchandise in the town’s central business district.
In Masvingo Province, the editor of The Masvingo Mirror, Garikai Mafirakureva, was arrested in January of last year for allegedly publishing or communicating false information prejudicial to the State.
Journalists like Blessed Mhlanga and Chengeto Chidi from Alpha Media Holdings were also arrested in Chitungwiza while filming a documentary.
Samuel Takawira and Frank Chikowore were victims of arrest when they were detained at a hospital in Harare while attempting to interview MDC Alliance activists who had allegedly been abducted, tortured, and left for dead.
Despite being fully accredited by the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), journalists in Zimbabwe live in fear of arrest and physical harm.
Organisations such as Misa Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights have been instrumental in helping fight for media freedom in Zimbabwe, by representing journalists who would have been arrested, or those who would have been threatened.
Misa Zimbabwe has an SOS Hotline which journalists can trigger if they feel their lives are in danger
