New Communication Technologies and Journalism Ethics in Zimbabwe: Practices and Malpractices

Journal Title: Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies - Year 2013, Vol 3, Issue 2

Abstract

New media technologies have transformed journalism practice in a profound way and Zimbabwe has not been exception. However, research on the impact of these technologies on journalism ethical is troublingly scant. Much of the scholarly attention tends to focus on uses of new media technologies in everyday practice, while their ethical implications are pushed to the backstage. This is in spite of the fact that, the social utility of journalism is largely predicated on its ability to function as a provider of public knowledge, and “truthful, comprehensive and intelligent” accounts of news and events (Ward 2008). The present study examines ethical challenges faced by Zimbabwean journalism practitioners when using the internet, email and cellular phones in their operations. The study combines a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to elicit data on ethical challenges and dilemmas faced journalism practitioners in Zimbabwe.. Results reveal a dialectical impact of new media technologies on journalism and suggest that, the Internet, email and cellular phone are viewed as enhancers as well as obstacles to ethical journalism. The paper motivates for the application of the sociology of journalism ethics as a framework for examining ethical challenges and dilemmas faced by journalism practitioners when using new media technologies. It is argued that the practice of ethical journalism should be viewed as circumscribed by the interaction of a complex web of structural, institutional and socio-economic factors, both internal and external to the environment in which journalism is practiced.

Authors and Affiliations

Tendai Chari| University of Venda, South Africa

Keywords

Related Articles

Social Networking Services in Service of Democracy – Chosen Case Studies

The author undertook to define the role of the social networking services and their meaning for democracy, especially in those countries lacking democracy. At the beginning of this analysis the following questions were...

Virtual Communities of Police Service Support: Providing SWOT Model in Line with the Order and Security

Nowadays by formation of virtual communities, people support public services by sharing their own information and experiences. This article used the information of a Persian website in which the question and answer cyc...

“How the content of online pornography depicts expressed consent for insemination”

Insemination is a sex act that requires consent. Legally, expressed consent eliminates any doubt that consent was absent, especially because the absence of objection does not imply consent. The researcher examined how...

The Relation between Positive Brand Emotions and Recall

Brand memory and ad memory is a kind of mental storage that consumers apply to while making decisions about brands and buying. A positive ad memory for a given brand plays an effective role for consumers to develop a p...

Feminist Cinema as Counter Cinema: Is Feminist Cinema Counter Cinema?

The article of Peter Wollen “Godard and Counter Cinema: Vent D’est” is considered as the beginning of counter cinema. In 1979, “Women’s Cinema As Counter Cinema” which was written by Claire Johnston and the...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP9945
  • DOI -
  • Views 432
  • Downloads 19

How To Cite

Tendai Chari (2013). New Communication Technologies and Journalism Ethics in Zimbabwe: Practices and Malpractices. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 3(2), 112-136. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-9945