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By Lovemore Chazingwa
The art of journalism requires one to be multi-skilled and keep improving themselves in order to fit into any space in the media industry, especially for female practitioners, a prominent Zimbabwean journalist has said.
ABC Communications run ZiFM Stereo news anchor Martha Mamombe was responding to questions in an interview with Studio 7 reporter, Evans Zininga in Washington DC, United States of America today. Mamombe is part of a group of young Africans drawn from all African states travelling on a Nelson Mandela Fellowship Young Africans Leadership Initiative, simply called, YALI.
The group is on a six-week visit to the United States of America where they are attached to various universities to get expert training from specialists in fields of their choice.
“Journalists should be ethical and honest without peddling lies. They should neither be unjustifiably sensational. Moreso, female journalists need to be multi-skilled and keep improving themselves to fit in any space in the industry, be it radio, tv, or newspaper.”
In the same interview, Mamombe noted that the media industry in Zimbabwe is male-dominated.
The young journalist said she looks forward to improving community development using the media as a watchdog in society.
“Once l get back home, I look forward to improving community development using the media as a watchdog in society.”
Mamombe revealed that she will be attached to Massachusetts University for the duration of her stay in the United States.
Her import, anchored on the media and journalism, is to interrogate, introspect and comprehend how developed states apply journalism in their various spaces.
The vivacious female scribe is a familiar voice on ZiFM Stereo news bulletins and updates. She is among some of the contemporary renowned vibrant personalities on the airwaves, having started her journalism journey a considerable period of time ago.
The Zimbabwe contingent of thirteen individuals includes young Kariba mayor Ralph Nyasha Maoneyi who, in an earlier interview, also expressed a yearning desire to come back home and employ leadership skills and knowledge gained to further develop his town.
“I need to learn leadership skills and how to be effective and inclusive in leadership. A good leader must cut across barriers without discriminating on any basis. Those skills I will learn here and the knowledge gained should be of use to develop my town back home.”
The Mandela Fellowship – Young African Leadership Initiative is the brainchild of former US president Barrack Obama. It is an annual expedition that usually sends youthful, deserving individuals, innovators, or entrepreneurs to the developed country every year since its inception.
Editions that were supposed to be held physically during the Covid-19 lockdown era were held virtually due to restricted movement and gathering protocol.