Public service broadcasting and the risk of state capture: the case of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation

Abstract

Broadcasting in Zimbabwe has been a contested terrain since the establishment of the Rhodesia Broadcasting Corporation,(RBC). The Rhodesian Government took advantage of the RBC to spread out its propaganda throughout the country. This was because, broadcasting, whether radio or television, has a pervasive impact, for instance, the intensity of the genocide in Rwanda was inter alia fuelled by repeated messages of tribal hatred expressed over Radio-Television Libre des MilleCollines (RTLMC). The power of words, more so, visuals, hit directly into the minds of listeners and viewers, whether consciously or unconsciously and the repetition of the same messages make known falsehoods to sound real and truthful.Broadcasting has the potency to transform public perceptions and understanding of issues of public interest. These views explain why broadcasting has always been a contested terrain in many countries ruled by oppressive regimes. The desire by some public officials to act as information gate valves is correspondingly high. As a consequence thereof, they put in place stringent broadcasting regulations to create legitimate legal excuses to discourage media pluralism and they only award radio and television broadcasting licenses to persons or companies linked to the governing regime.