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Politics of Passion and the Pursuit of Propaganda in Zimbabwe’s State Media: A Study of the Case of The Herald

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Participatory Politics and Citizen Journalism in a Networked Africa

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Abstract

In this chapter, the author has endeavoured to first problematize The Herald newspaper’s role in Zimbabwean society. The first issue lies within the institution itself. Its role and responsibility to provide citizens with reliable news content have all been severely questioned by critics at home and abroad because of its traditional, openly pro-government stance. The second issue, which is related to the first, is associated with the newspaper’s ownership structure, which presumably forces editors to pointedly paint a positive picture on stories involving Zimbabwe African National Union — Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) officials even when unprejudiced scrutiny is needed, while anything that seeks to dehumanize, discredit or demonize the opposition attracts instant attention and is decidedly disseminated at whatever cost. The author, therefore, decided to formulate one central research question: To what extent do The Herald’s historical ties with ZANU-PF contribute to its perceived biased coverage of news events?

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Authors
  1. Bruce Mutsvairo
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Northumbria University, UK

    Bruce Mutsvairo

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© 2016 Bruce Mutsvairo

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Mutsvairo, B. (2016). Politics of Passion and the Pursuit of Propaganda in Zimbabwe’s State Media: A Study of the Case of The Herald . In: Mutsvairo, B. (eds) Participatory Politics and Citizen Journalism in a Networked Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137554505_10

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