Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) Journalism in the dock as Mugabe returns

Journalism in the dock as Mugabe returns
12/04/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

Mugabe – whose Asia holiday triggered wild speculation that he was “on his deathbed” in Singapore – “looked fine” during the five-hour meeting also attended by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a minister who was present told New Zimbabwe.com.

Asked if Mugabe, 88, had been asked about the rumours over his health, the minister would neither confirm nor deny, citing a strict ministerial code of secrecy over Cabinet proceedings. The Zanu PF leader, travelling on a chartered Airbus 319, touched down at the Harare International Airport just before 6.30AM.

He exchanged brief pleasantries with waiting officials including Vice President Joice Mujuru, State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi, Transport Minister Nicholas Goche, Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, army commander General Constantine Chiwenga and CIO director general Happyton Bonyongwe before zooming off in his motorcade.

Mugabe’s apparent wellness was drawing a backlash against media organisations which rushed to publish claims of his purported illness based on a false report by a Zimbabwean website.

The website’s bogus report was originally reprinted by an Australian newspaper before being regurgitated by major world newspapers.

Most Zimbabwean media organisations were, however, measured in their reporting. Trevor Ncube, the publisher of the Zimbabwe Independent and Standard, took to Twitter to warn: “Please note that the source of the Mugabe rumour story is not a reliable one.”

Alasdair Munn, a Zimbabwe-born CEO of the Communications Group and blogger said the episode had exposed the limitations of “citizen journalism”.

He wrote on his blog: “When studying journalism some 25 years ago, we used to talk about ‘news-induced crime waves.’ As a publisher, to create the illusion that the crime of, say, snatching handbags from grannies is on the increase, all you need to do is increase the number of instances you report on it.

“The recent Mugabe health-scare, whether true or not, has shown how social media has amplified and grown a report from a single, unsubstantiated source.

“We wait to find out what is really going on, but what is clear is citizen journalism, in this instance, has done nothing more than fuel speculation and rumour.”

Some of the UK newspapers which were speculating that Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa was on the verge of being installed as “dying” Mugabe’s successor have been backpedalling furiously since he returned to Harare.

Former Zimbabwe Mirror editor Chofamba Sithole said: “The global media's morbid interest in the mortality of one Robert Mugabe supercedes all journalistic ethos, it seems.

“All the big media outlets shamelessly rested their claims on the frail shoulders of a pathetic citizen news site bereft of all credibility quoting a faceless source.

“Journalists failed to test the credibility of the story. For instance, what was the name of this Singaporean hospital? Were there any signs of heightened security outside it? Had anyone from the Mugabe family been seen leaving or entering this hospital?

“What comes across is that no news outlet seems to have invested any journalistic effort in uncovering the basic facts about this story.”
Information Minister Webster Shamu chided reporters for “spreading rumours” moments after Mugabe touched down.

"As you can see, he is fit as a fiddle. Why do we spread rumours? It's all lies told by a press driving an imperialist agenda," he said to a group of reporters at the airport.

Labels: MEDIA, ROBERT MUGABE

posted by MrK @ 2:38 PM