Special Advisor to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Christopher Mutsvangwa declared that media reforms will not come for free in Zimbabwe and claimed that Google was biased against Zimbabwe. Mutsvangwa made the statements at a World Press Freedom Day Zimbabwe breakfast meeting where he was the keynote speaker. The theme for this year is “Media Reforms Now: Key to Credible elections”
Mutsvangwa had been challenged to explain to explain why the government was delaying implementing media reforms since the new Constitution of Zimbabwe was introduced 5 years ago.
He responded saying that media reforms will not come for free and stressed that there is no such thing as a free lunch in life. The special adviser to the president advised the media that it must fight for the reforms that it wants the government to implement. Said Mutsvangwa,
The media must push the government to enforce reforms.
Mutsvangwa who also claims to be the father of the internet and the digital age in Zimbabwe shocked the delegates when he claimed that the Google Zimbabwe Editor is biased against Zimbabwe. Mutsvangwa said that he wants to know the editor of Google in Zimbabwe as he was not impressed with the way Google presents news on Zimbabwe.
The special adviser to the president also warned journalists that they must change their business models and be wary of fake news otherwise they will write themselves into poverty. Said Mutsvangwa
The minister also railed against social media. He claimed that social media was being used to spread a lot of bad information because everyone was now a journalist and called for more regulation.
