Policy change or tactical retreat? Media policy reform in Zimbabwe’s “new dispensation”
Media policy reform in Zimbabwe’s “new dispensation”
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- Submited: October 4, 2022
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Published: October 5, 2022
Abstract
This study explores Zimbabwe’s media legislation, the Freedom of Information Act (FIA), which
was brought into effect in 2020 to replace previous repressive legislation, the 2002 Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). While the new law has been presented under
the reform agenda of the post-Mugabe administration, this paper explores whether the FIA offers
genuine media freedoms or if it replicates the old law. The study was guided by a qualitative
research design, and data was obtained through document analysis and in-depth interviews. A
key finding from the study is that the FIA contains very few changes that differentiate it from the
repressive policy that it is replacing. It thus appears that a dual legacy of democracy and media
authoritarianism still exists in the post-Mugabe administration, which presents itself as the “new
dispensation”.
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How to Cite
Policy change or tactical retreat? Media policy reform in Zimbabwe’s “new dispensation”. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 40(1), 89-106. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v40i1.1513
