ZIMBABWE Media Commission (ZMC) executive secretary Godwin Phiri has urged police not to criminalise journalism, but treat it as a noble profession.
Phiri made the remarks during a ZMC election reporting and peace journalism training workshop held in Bulawayo on Thursday.
“There is no crime in Zimbabwe called being a journalist and at the highest level of the police we have an agreement that journalists cannot be arrested for carrying out their duty,” Phiri said.
“When you are reporting stories, it is not a crime. However, the challenge is that this information does not filter down to the lowest levels of the force, so once in a while we get one or two officers who have not yet fully understood that journalists must be allowed to operate.”
Some journalists have in the past been roughed up by police while executing their duties.
Police and media representative groups have tried to hold engagement meetings to establish a cordial relationship.
Phiri, however, urged journalists not to abuse the profession to commit crime.
“This is not a licence for you to commit other crimes and hide behind being a journalist. We have talked to the senior levels of the police and they understand that when that happens we can contact each other to see what should be done," Phiri said.
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“But as I said, please do not hide behind being a journalist. You can't be arrested at a shebeen and say I was wearing a Press jacket and I am at work.”
Early this week, Bulawayo journalists Annastacia Ndlovu, Pamenus Tuso and Lungelo Ndlovu were attacked by suspected Zanu PF youth who descended at the vegetable market place in the city centre attacking vendors for snubbing party rallies.
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