Amidst the disruption wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic and the government clampdown on journalists, a new network of content creators has emerged.
The Content Creators Network ZW which will be launched today is set to defend content creators, promote free expression as well as enhancing the media industry.
The Network is made of some of the country’s leading digital platforms including Magamba Network, Bustop TV, Centre for Innovation & Technology (CITE), Kubatana, ZimFact, TellZim, and News Hawks.
The new initiative is set to be a networking platform for Zimbabwean content creators to strengthen the industry and to share content that promotes independent media, social justice, and free expression.
“We live in a time when global Lockdowns have radically shifted the world to go virtual,” says the Content Creators Network ZW Convenor, Samm Farai Monro better known as Comrade Fatso.
Content Creators Network ZW Spokesperson, Zenzele Ndebele highlighted the importance of the Network saying the new initiative will expose government malpractices.
We live in a time when content creators have defined the Zimbabwean narrative with groundbreaking corruption exposes and hashtags like #ZimbabweanLivesMatter. We live in a time when the government is going after journalists and satirists who speak truth to power online.
“Now more than ever we need our content creators, community media groups, and alternative media outlets to be united, to support each other and defend free expression. Our network is diverse and includes investigative journalists, political satirists, community media voices, fact-checkers, and digital media organisations. Our diversity is our strength!”
Content Creators Network ZW Spokesperson, Zenzele Ndebele highlighted the importance of the Network saying the new initiative will expose government malpractices.
Ndebele added that: “In a democracy, it is very important to tolerate diverse opinions and that is what Content Creators Network ZW is striving to promote.”
The Content Creators Network ZW is a loose network of media organisations that use media for positive social change and will include affiliated content creators, alternative media organizations, and grassroots community media initiatives. The network aims to promote high-quality content and promote public interest journalism. It also aims to make Zimbabwe’s online news media a more reliable and credible source of information and an effective watchdog. The organisers of the network will soon be hosting events, training, discussions, and running digital campaigns for free expression.
