Survival of the Private Media Under Zimbabwe’s Politico-Economic Crises

Abstract

Democratic transition relies on the presence of a functional Habermas’ public sphere, defined as a metaphorical space where access to information affecting the public good is available, where discussion is ideally free from domination, and where participation is on equal basis. These three features of a public sphere constitute the telos and political power of the media in a democratic society. The power of the press arose from its ability to give or withhold publicity, its informative capacity and its freedom to report and comment on the deliberations, assemblies and acts of governments. In this chapter, the impact of the politico-economic crisis on the operations of journalists working for Zimbabwe’s two main private publications, the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) and Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) between 2013 and 2018, is interrogated in the auspices of the three constituent elements of the Habermas’ public sphere. Through an analysis of research data from interviews with AHM and ANZ journalists, the chapter exposes the undermining of the agenda setting, watchdog and adversarial roles of the news media in an economically turbulent Zimbabwe where bribes and inducements were rampant and defined journalism practices. The study reveals unprecedented ways in which the economic turmoil has created political and corporate bullies who use financial muscles to facilitate bribes and unethical journalism taking advantage of poorly paid journalists. These practices have created what is termed an ailing public sphere, an antithesis of a democratic society in Zimbabwe. This study recommends that media unions like the Zimbabwe Union Journalists (ZUJ) enforce journalism and media ethics among journalists.