The new generation of digital native media is making significant political and societal changes and strengthening democracies in the developing parts of the world, Zimbabwe included, a global media think tank has reported.
The Inflection Point International Report noted that in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa digital media organizations are holding power to account despite ongoing threats on journalists.
The Inflection Point International report, published by SembraMedia, a non-profit that supports entrepreneurial journalists in partnership with the global philanthropic organization Luminate, carried out more than 200 global interviews and interviewed 49 independent digital native media organizations in Africa.
“Although most operate with relatively small budgets, they have an impact that punches above their weight when compared to the size of their teams and resources. Many specialize in investigative and data journalism, and more than 50% have won national or international awards for their work,” reads the report.
Across all three regions, 51 percent of the media organizations in this study said they were the victim of digital attacks, and 40 percent said they had been threatened for their work.
“This report shines a light on a new generation of creative and courageous media entrepreneurs, developing solutions to Africa’s social and economic challenges and strengthening the workings of democracy and issues of governance,” said Abdul Noormohamed, Director, Africa of Luminate.
The report found that 57 per cent of the African digital newsrooms interviewed had won national awards and 28 per cent had won international awards in recognition of their work.
In Zimbabwe, just like the rest of Africa, digital media has taken over a substantial share previously held by traditional media, by providing alternative discourse and holding power to account.
However, this has come at a huge cost for journalists working for these start-ups.
In April 2019, Harare municipal police and Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers shot three teargas canisters into occupied 263Chat offices and confiscated gadgets with video footage of them harassing vendors.
“These new media ventures face many of the same challenges typical of startups, but they often operate under conditions that other business founders would find unthinkable—from online attacks to physical violence,” the report said.
The study further revealed that most of digital media houses managed to weather the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic due to a diversified revenue basket and a relatively smaller work force.
Top revenue categories were; grants, advertising, consulting services, content services, and reader revenue, in that order.
