New Media Policy “A Damp Squib” And “Yet Another Hollow Gesture”, Says Chamisa

Opposition politician Nelson Chamisa has criticised the recently launched media policy by the ZANU PF-led administration, describing it as a “damp squib” and yet another hollow gesture.

The policy was unveiled by President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House in Harare on Wednesday, 28 May 2025.

Chamisa argued that the true crisis facing Zimbabwe’s media sector is not a lack of policy but the continued criminalisation of journalism. He wrote on X:

Let’s be clear: the real crisis in Zimbabwe’s media sector is not a lack of policy, but the continued criminalisation of journalism. No amount of lipstick will beautify a frog.

Instead of opening space for investment and innovation, this policy tightens the administration’s grip on the media.

Rather than fostering an environment for investment and innovation, Chamisa argued that the policy further tightens the administration’s grip on the media landscape. He said:

True reform would have meant breaking the monopoly, not entrenching it; promoting local investment, not stifling it.

A genuine media policy, according to Chamisa, would empower journalists instead of threatening them with deregistration under vague “rules and standards” aimed at silencing dissent.

He called for self-regulation, akin to practices in other respected professions, and called for the transformation of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and Zimpapers into authentic public service platforms rather than mere “echo chambers for outdated propaganda.”

Chamisa also expressed concern that the proposed Media Fund would impose additional burdens on struggling media houses.

He pointed out that journalists, including those in public media, are earning meagre salaries due to collapsing revenues exacerbated by a hostile environment. Chamisa said:

This policy offers no meaningful support for retooling in the digital age. It’s not a new dispensation, it’s a new deception.

Chamisa called for a complete overhaul of the media landscape in Zimbabwe. He said:

It is time to decriminalise journalism, dismantle media capture, and enable Zimbabwe’s media to thrive as a job-creating, economy-boosting industry.