CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.7 Significance of Study
By elevating the communication capabilities of individuals, the Internet promotes heterogeneity and a new kind of pure democracy where we can be equal players in the information game. (Albarran and Goff, 2000: 25).
There has never been any other time in Zimbabwean media history when equal access to information was needed as much as now, because of the prevailing political climate. The 2008 elections in Zimbabwe will be deemed undemocratic if the controversial issues of access to information are not well addressed. There is a need for functional journalism specifically meant to empower ordinary citizens with information necessary for decision making. The Internet, with all its promises of interactivity lends itself squarely to this function for those who can access it. Accessibility of the Internet within Zimbabwe maybe
questionable, but with media repression, there was no other way of getting information to the people. Barring digital divide, Internet news was quite relevant to a balanced analysis of the political and economic situation. In support of this view, Jensen (1998a) alludes to the Internet’s possibilities of ushering in democracy, political independence and individual freedom of choice. The excitement and expectation around the Internet lies in its potential for boundless possibilities of interactivity.
The importance of the Internet cannot be overemphasised in a country where the mainstream media “has always been chiefly state-controlled, heavily government- subsidised, and urban-based” (Bourgault, 1995: 42). In situations such as these, the Internet assumes a new role, of being both a source of information about the government, as well as a site where citizens can express themselves freely without any fear of victimisation. One may question the limited accessibility of the Internet for ordinary Zimbabweans; however, the argument still remains, that the weaker cannot be empowered by weakening the strong.
It is logical that those who are dissatisfied with information circulated in the mainstream media will look for alternatives; hence, the Internet will fill in the gap. While acknowledging consumption from those without alternatives, traditional media will remain in operation to serve the regime people and those who are yearning for change will turn to independent media to follow political events. In terms of empowerment, the Internet has indeed offered a solution to the dysfunctional mainstream media, and with regard to information dissemination, the hope is, those with access will subsequently share amongst those without.
The emergence of independent Zimbabwean newspapers in the online arena ushered in a new dispensation of news circulation. Information that was once concealed from the
general populace has now been brought to light. For instance, information about atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by the Zimbabwean government in the Matabeleland region of the country soon after independence, is being revisited by these independent online papers, much to the benefit of many Zimbabweans with access to the Internet. Such information was a taboo subject in Zimbabwe, or was dealt with as propaganda, or misrepresented to ensure that the current regime stayed in power. This is one of the reasons why independent Zimbabwean newspapers defiantly published online, to make the public aware of what those in power had done.
The excitement surrounding the Internet does not only lie in its potential to transcend geographical and political boundaries, but in the fact that it’s a new medium that could extend interactive options in journalism (Schultz, 1999). Taking into consideration this view, this study seeks to identify tools that the Zimbabwean online media can use to encourage interactive communication. As rightly noted, the Internet is not a megaphone but a conversation (Lasica, 1996). This assertion describes the potential of the Internet to facilitate conversational and interactive communication; however, the study significantly seeks to establish in empirical terms the realities of these potentialities on Zimbabwean newspaper websites.
In response to the failure of mainstream media to provide readers a voice, pressure is mounting on newspaper websites to stimulate an electronically backed-up democracy.
Unless these Websites integrate special tools, such as e-mail links and discussion areas (bulletin boards) which enable readers to make their own statements, they will not be different from the traditional sender-receiver model (Schultz, 1999). Thus this study seeks to ascertain the availability of such interactive options to Internet news consumers on
Zimbabwean online newspapers.
Following the disillusionment with mainstream media in Zimbabwe, the study also seeks to evaluate how Zimbabwean online newspaper sites use the Internet’s interactive options to involve citizen participation in public debates. Online journalism can exploit e-mail, chat rooms, online polls, and bulletin boards to elicit reactive and subsequently interactive communication (Schultz, 1999). It is particularly important for Zimbabwean online newspapers to exploit these interactive options, given the country’s record of a fragile democracy and lack of tolerance to free expression.
Online newspapers have the potential to provide for interactive communication and to equip readers with the necessary tools to master their own destines in the business of news dissemination. This would also foster a new kind of democracy, relevant to a country experiencing high levels of intolerance and suppression of free expression. Therefore, this study is quite significant and relevant to the current media situation and state of democracy in Zimbabwe.