SEVEN Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) journalists on Thursday came out tops after scooping awards in various categories during this year’s edition of the National Journalism and Media Awards (Njama). The awards reinforce AMH’s market leader position in the industry in coming up with real, factual and compelling stories. AMH are the publishers of The Standard, NewsDay and Zimbabwe Independent newspapers and online broadcasting channel, HStv.
The ceremony was held in Harare. Mthandazo Nyoni scooped the ICT Journalist of the Year Award. Vanessa Gonye won the Agriculture journalist of the year award, with Harriet Chikandiwa coming out tops in the Health Reporter of the Year category as well as being runner-up in the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs category.
Gamuchirai Nyamuzihwa was a runner-up in the Health Reporter of the Year category. Sharon Sibindi was the Community Impact runner-up. In his speech at the awards, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services minister Jenfan Muswere said the media has a role to play to inform, to educate, to raise awareness, to highlight where there are shortcomings, expose corruption and report on the development that is taking place in the country.
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He said the media must also report on the economic transformation and the performance of the economy. “Our major goal is to ensure that we achieve an upper-middle-income society by 2030. So how do we achieve all that?
What is the role of the media? It is a fact that Zimbabwe’s economic development, the macro-economic growth, is on an upward trend. The economy continues to grow,” Muswere said.
“The economic growth rate has been revised, not by us, but also by the International Monetary Fund and international institutions. It is a fact that the government is utilising the domestication of value chains to develop a key trade route, which is the guidepost for Zimbabwe. It is a fact that Zimbabwe’s economy is growing.” He said the awards were also celebrating factual reporting.
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