(MISA/IFEX) - Media stakeholders are set to launch an independent, self-regulatory media council in January 2007 after getting endorsement from government, publishers, civic society organisations, political parties, church groups and the business community.
The self-regulatory body, which will be known as the Media Council of Zimbabwe (MCZ), will be officially launched in Harare on January 26 at a ceremony that will be preceded by the election of nominees onto the 11-member media council and a five-member ethics committee.
The nominees, 90 percent of whom have already accepted the nominations, were drawn from the judiciary, media, legal fraternity, civic society organisations, church groups and the business community.
Among the nominees are retired judges, renowned newspaper publishers, professors, doctors, lawyers, journalists, editors and respected citizens who have served Zimbabwe with integrity. The publishers, editors and journalists have been drawn from both the private and state media.
The setting of the launch date comes in the wake of extensive nationwide consultative meetings that were led by the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) and Misa-Zimbabwe under the auspices of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ). MAZ comprises ZUJ, Misa-Zimbabwe and the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ).
Strategic planning and report-back meetings were held with key stakeholders, namely the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum, the Zimbabwe Association of Editors, MMPZ and the Federation of African Media Women in Zimbabwe.
