· · · · · · · The ZEC must set clear monitoring mechanism and sanctions for non-compliance to ensure that state media complies with their public service mandate. ZEC should widen the composition of the Media Monitoring Committee to include media stakeholders as a means of promoting transparency and accountability. The committee faces capacity challenges to effectively monitor and produce compressive reports on the state of the media coverage and performance during the elections. Currently ZEC relies on the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) and the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) in the discharge of this overwhelming duty. There is need to broaden the composition to include civil society and other stakeholders as a means of building capacity and ensuring transparency and accountability in this regard. ZEC should widely publicise its monitoring mechanism and measures to ensure equal and equitable access to the public media as well as guarding against the spewing of hate language in the media, especially by the public media. ZEC must demand coverage schedule from the public broadcaster based on contesting parties, assess its fairness, approve and monitor its implementation. ZEC and ZMC should ensure authorities comply with the constitution as it relates to securing the editorial independence and impartiality of the state media ZEC in partnership with the ZMC should review the code of conduct governing media during elections in consultation with the media stakeholders ZBC must establish a clear public complaints mechanism to address public concerns and act on them. Appendix 1 – MISA-Zimbabwe Public Broadcasting Framework: Mandate of Public Broadcaster (2010) The public broadcaster shall (a) provide access to a wide range of information and ideas from the various sectors of society; (b) report on news and current affairs in a way which is not influenced by political, commercial or other special interests and therefore comprehensive, fair and balanced; Reclaiming Public Media ahead of 2018 Elections info@zesn.net zesn2011@zesn.net www.zesn.org.zw