MEDIA COVERAGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN ZIMBABWE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The media are central institutions in any democratic society. They inform
and educate citizens about political and socio-economic issues. The
media further provide citizens with information they need to make
informed decisions. As powerful institutions, they promote human rights
by creating public forums where different views in a democratic society
can be expressed. Informed by the agenda-setting and social
responsibility theories, this paper analyses the extent and nature of
media coverage regarding human rights in Zimbabwe in the context of
the covid-19 pandemic. Utilising the qualitative research methodology,
the paper scrutinised how The Standard Newspaper reported about
Covid-19 and human rights-related issues for a period of one month after
President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a 21-day national lockdown
on 30 March 2020. The paper concluded that the newspaper responded
quickly in its coverage regarding human rights in the context of the
unfolding pandemic. However, although most of the stories were
informative, they were not educative since they were event-based and
single sourced. This paper suggested that The Standard should use
more comments and analysis and multiple sources to give diversity and
weight to human rights issues covered.