Journalists Urged to Preach Peace Ahead of Elections

By Hazvinei Mwanaka

MASVINGO- Journalists have been encouraged to preach peace and maintain professionalism in order to gain trust from the electorate during their coverage of the elections.

Speaking during a dialogue organised by Zimbabwe National Editor’s Forum (ZINEF) with journalists in Masvingo on how the church perceived the media, Reverend Sonykiss Chimbuya said society was concerned about what the media said.

“Media should be truthful because people from the community respond to what the media says. As the Church we need the media to preach peace, say things as they are, be balanced in their writing and to be impartial whenever they are writing whether writing about Chamisa or Mnangagwa,” he said.

“At times media seems to be confusing people, the media should update and inform the society so that is well informed. If the community is not well-informed disaster can strike the society,’ he added.

He also said the community desired to see, through the eyes of the media and be guided in their act by the media because the media was the eyes of society.

Chimbuya added that it was better to write a few truthful stories than to write a lot of false and damaging stories adding that journalists should maintain professionalism.

Commenting on stories that emerge on the social media he said that it was important that journalists confirmed their stories and that they should rely on credible sources.

“The community is saying the media is playing an informative role but it is only focusing on the general things because there are many unreported issues that have to do with the elections,” he said.