IRI/NDI Zimbabwe International Election Observation Mission Final Report 39 Media The media landscape in Zimbabwe is dominated by state-owned entities, and private media is only available in print. The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), a state-run entity, has a monopoly over television broadcasting. Several radio stations exist and have received licensing from the Minister of State for Information and Publicity, however, all are owned by entities controlled by the state or linked to the government. Notably, since enactment of the Broadcasting Services Act in 2001, not a single community radio station has been issued a license to operate. Section 160J of the Electoral Act54 outlines the required legal framework for media coverage of elections, including conduct of the media, access to broadcasting and print media, and the ZEC’s responsibility to monitor media coverage during the election cycle to ensure every citizens’ right to access to information as enshrined in the Constitution.55 During an election period, broadcasters and print publishers must ensure that all political parties and candidates are afforded equal media coverage. Yet, coverage of the 2018 harmonized elections reflected the extremely polarized nature of Zimbabwe’s media landscape and a systematic and extreme bias in state media that consistently failed to provide fair and equitable coverage of all parties. Zimbabwe operates in a mixed zone of state- and industry-led self-regulation. The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC)56 and the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ)57 oversee the actions of the media. In addition, the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) is a selfregulatory body set up in 2007 by Zimbabwean journalists.58 However, during an election cycle, the responsibility for monitoring and regulating political media falls under the ambit of the ZEC. The ZEC established a Media Monitoring Committee (MMC) to assess whether candidates and parties were granted equal access in an attempt regulate political media.59 However, due to lack of resources and ZEC’s refusal to work with CSOs to fill capacity gaps, the MMC ultimately proved ineffectual.60 Although operational, the MMC failed to report to the public about broadcasting violations during the pre-election period and to address complaints arising from when presidential candidates Mnangagwa and Chamisa, on July 29, violated the campaign silence period by 54 Electoral Act [Chapter 2;13] s. Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides for fundamental rights to media and the right to access public information. 56 ZMC is a constitutional body, which administers the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). It has the mandate to receive and process license applications from media houses. It is also tasked with accrediting journalists as well as enforcing good journalistic practices and ethics in the media. 57 BAZ is a commission created by the 2001 Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) to regulate the airwaves in Zimbabwe. Its mandate includes issuing of broadcasting licenses and frequencies, developing best practices for the broadcast media, protecting children from harmful broadcast content, and promoting fair and accurate coverage as well as encouraging diversity in control of broadcasting services in Zimbabwe. 58 The independent Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) is a self-regulatory body for all types of media that is supported by a majority of print outlets, has continued to develop its scope of activities, and has heard numerous formal complaints and adjudicated disputes over media content. It seeks to ensure that journalists uphold media ethics, ensure fair and accurate coverage, and promote media independence, freedom of expression, research on trends in the sector, capacity building, and training. 59 Broadcasters are required by law to allocate four hours of available airtime during election season for election advertisements, which is to be allocated on an equitable basis. 60 On July 21, MISA-Zimbabwe, a prominent media monitoring CSO, filed an urgent High Court application challenging the constitutionality of the ZEC’s Media Monitoring Committee. In an open letter to the ZEC, MISA-Zimbabwe suggested that, in the interest of a healthy media environment, the ZEC collaborate with other stakeholders from civil society that have the resources and technical capacity to successfully monitor the Harmonized Elections. However, ignoring MISA-Zimbabwe’s request, the ZEC chose to partner with ZMC and BAZ instead. Thus, ZEC missed a critical opportunity to increase transparency and boost public confidence in the process. 55