Opinion: MDC factions create media headaches

By Violet Gonda
18 May 2005

Ever since the MDC split into two factions last October the coverage of what used to be the country’s main opposition party has become a quagmire for journalists. How do you report on two opposition parties with the same name? Journalists have been criticized for using words like 'pro and anti senate' and 'factions.' What do you call the leaders of the two groups? Is it wrong to call one a breakaway faction? Is it wrong to call the original leader of the main opposition party the President of the MDC?

Journalists are fast seeing that it is a lose-lose situation for them as it is impossible not to offend the sensibilities of one side or the other. Whatever is written about either of the factions, at least one camp is bound to complain and accuse the media of being biased.

Foreign correspondent Andrew Meldrum said, “The fact is both sides are so busy attacking each other that they are not really effectively – either one of them – plotting the way forward for all of Zimbabwe.”

Meldrum who was expelled from Zimbabwe in May 2003 now reports on Zimbabwe in neighboring South Africa. He said, “I was just at a meeting with donors and diplomats who are covering Zimbabwe and they are also troubled. They don’t know what to do about Zimbabwe and they feel they don’t want to side with either side of the MDC and they don’t feel that either side of the MDC is offering any real hope to Zimbabweans.” Meldrum said civic society and the people of Zimbabwe, who had hoped to see either side coming up with a strategy to restore Zimbabwe to normalcy, have been badly affected by the split.

The job of maintaining balance when reporting about this issue has not been made easier by the politicians themselves. It is now a huge mountain to climb to get an interview with the leadership of either side and then you still run the risk of being labelled partisan if an angle of the story is not favourable.

Meldrum added, “ They should respect our neutrality and not expect any favours and should spend more time on putting positive solutions forward rather than attacking journalists.”

Both factions should urgently resolve their dispute over the party name and assets. This would make it much easier for journalists, and for the poor ordinary voter.