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By Joyce Mukucha
The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) with the support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the European Union launched Covid-19 Online Safety Guidelines, a guide to health and safety for journalists reporting during the global pandemic in the country.
These health and safety guidelines are part of ZUJ’s joint programme with UNESCO and the European Union programme that seeks to strengthen the capacities of media professionals to report on Covid-19 along with the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ), the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum (ZINEF) and the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ).
Speaking during the launch in Harare on the 14th of October 2021, ZUJ outgoing president, Michael Chideme said the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the way journalists operate thus the initiative will go a long way in offering guidance and support if and when necessary.
“This is a very welcome development we are witnessing today which will enable our journalists who are covering Covid-19 stories to do their job safely. We are in a crisis and over the past two years, a lot of things have happened with people losing jobs. Advertising has gone down and companies have closed. The pandemic has brought a lot of challenges and some of our experienced colleagues succumbed to the virus and if we fail to take measures, we continue losing cadres.
“So I’m urging you that as you report during the Covid-19 era, continue following the World Health Organisation stipulated rules and most importantly, take note of these guidelines,” Chideme said.
He emphasised that there is no story worth dying for. Chideme also highlighted that it was high time journalists have to gather the courage to talk to their superiors to embrace safety measures such as online interviews and meetings as well as educating their sources how dangerous the virus is.
“There is also a need for journalists to educate your sources about the importance of life and share with them these guidelines and ensure that they prioritize them. For editors of various newsrooms who are here, it is your responsibility to protect the young lives. Don’t put them in dangerous situations. Where it is not necessary, try and avoid sending them to crowded places.”
He pointed out that it was imperative to have the guidelines in as many vernacular languages as possible and indicated the need to ensure that they are also accessible to various groups including people with disabilities.
The Zimbabwe National Editor’s Forum (ZINEF) Director, Njabulo Ncube said journalists form the core of a communication system during a crisis like this one.
He explained that Covid-19 is a health issue and a health story that sees many journalists risking their lives and emphasised the importance of the guidelines in supporting the work of journalists reporting the pandemic in Zimbabwe. He said journalists should do their jobs safely, ethically, and effectively.
“These guidelines are essential and to editors, I urge you to endorse these guidelines that ZUJ and partners have produced. It is important for journalists to adhere to these guidelines. It is prudent for me to mention that Covid-19 is a health issue and all of us are interested in our own health and that of family and friends. So Covid-19 is a health story that as journalists we should be concerned about.
“The normative roles of journalism are many and varied. The role of a journalist is to share information of consequence with the public and this is particularly important in the midst of a public health crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
The covid-19 pandemic is a crisis and news organisations are part of communication ecology and so journalists and news organisations can be understood to be working in the Covid-19 communication system.
Ncube stressed that the media has to remain professional all the time and avoid speculation and stick to verified information from government officials and the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
He pointed out that in the midst of this pandemic there are a lot of people who are not journalists who are spreading a lot of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news and this is where the need for journalists who are well informed on health issues, in particular, the vaccination drive, need to come and assist educating the people about vaccines and disseminating accurate information.
“Journalists serve as a resource for others in this ecology whilst balancing personal challenges if these crises. So we are grateful to ZUJ and other partners for facilitating the drafting and adoption of these safety guidelines
“In a crisis like this one, we tend to receive a lot of information resulting in misinformation, therefore, the media has a role to solve information crisis, misinformation. The Ministry of Health and Child Care has continued to provide updates and statistics in the country to ensure that journalists and the general public continue to receive accurate information about the pandemic. I urge journalists to remain ethical when reporting about the pandemic.”
UNESCO Regional Advisor for Communication and Information, Al Amin Yusuph applauded ZUJ for launching the safety guidelines and urged journalists to fully understand the guide and use it to protect themselves from dangers posed by the global pandemic.
ZUJ Programs Officer, Eric Matingo, extended his gratitude to UNESCO, the European Union, the United Nations, ZINEF, VMCZ, MAZ, and other partners for making the crafting and launch of the guide ‘Reporting Safely’ a success.
The guide includes Covid-19 do’s and don’ts to help journalists to protect themselves during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There are a few basic rules for journalists to observe:
1. Get vaccinated
2. Wear a mask, keep a safe distance and sanitize everything
3. Get accredited and obey the law
4. Don’t become the news
5. Don’t assume you know what you are doing.Do 1,2 and 3 if you want to avoid 4. Don’t, and you could get arrested or fall fatally ill like Zororo Makamba, the young television broadcaster who had the tragic distinction of being the first Zimbabwean to die from Covid-19, in March 2020,” reads part of the guide.
At least eight other journalists in Zimbabwe have succumbed to the virus.
Six of them died in the first seven months of this year, according to ZUJ. They are among more than 600 journalists who died of Covid-19 in 59 countries over 10 months in 2020.
The guidelines also encourage journalists to stay sane during the pandemic indicating that staying sane is as much a duty to themselves as it is to loved ones and colleagues.
“Even the most experienced journalists may struggle psychologically when reporting on the pandemic, according to the Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford.
“Management should check in on their journalists on a regular basis to see how they are coping, and to offer guidance and support if and when necessary. Covering Covid stories can affect reporters profoundly. As first responders, journalists rush to situations that others run away from. This can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder in some cases, but more likely anxiety, stress, and burnout.
“So staying attuned to your emotional health and heeding signs that you need support will help you to catch any issues that arise and manage them. The tragedies and suffering brought by Covid-19 can make you uncertain and fearful about your health and that of your nearest and dearest. Delays and the expense of getting treatment can throw you mentally off balance. Working online and from home changes routines and working conditions, which can compound the stress of covering the pandemic.
“The following advice to journalists for maintaining psychological well-being is from the three sources listed in the footnote: IREX, a development and education organization, the International Journalists’ Network, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Their advice has been edited for brevity.
• Work with reliable, up-to-date information. Avoid ambiguity – it’s stressful.
Schedule your time on the job and your downtime. Stick to your normal daily routine. Set aside a working place at home and separate work and time off.
• Schedule your day so you have short breaks; take unexpected breaks; get up from your desk, look out the window, breathe deeply, stretch and dance or take a walk.
• Eat healthy food; avoid too many snacks.
•Let friends or close colleagues know what’s going on in your life. Get together with your colleagues regularly, physically and online. Discuss the job but make small talk and cheer each other up
•See assignments as a creative challenge and a chance to learn something new.
• If you feel you need to talk to someone, find a person you trust and discuss your feelings and concerns. Seek professional help if needed. It’s normal to feel stress in a stressful situation and connect with loved ones,” the guide further explores.