A staggering one third of Zimbabweans in an Afrobarometer survey argued that “too much reporting on negative events, like government mistakes and corruption, only harms the country”.
Sixty-one percent, however, endorsed the media’s watchdog role saying the media should “constantly investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption”.
Support for media checks on government dropped by 30 percentage points between 2009 and 2012, from 88% to 58%.
Three-fourths (75%) of those with post-secondary qualifications support media checks on government, compared to only 43% of those with no formal education.
More than eight in 10 MDC-T supporters (85%) want the media to investigate government mistakes and corruption, against only 47% of ZANU-PF adherents.
Support for the media’s watchdog role is the majority view in all provinces except Matabeleland North (43%).
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