Al Jazeera Journalism Review
Derick Matsengarwodzi is a freelance journalist and author based in Harare, writing for regional and international publications.
Writer’s Articles
What does Zimbabwe’s new ‘Patriot Bill’ mean for journalists?
As Zimbabwe heads into elections this week, a new law dubbed the ‘Patriot Bill’ will further criminalise journalism
What Zimbabwe’s news rooms must learn from global media closures
A flourishing media needs more than just capital and a few good ideas - it needs innovation
Why won’t Zimbabwe’s media report truthfully on the Gold Mafia?
When it comes to government corruption, mainstream media only reports what the government tells it to - as can be seen by their response to a damning Al Jazeera documentary
‘They called us agents of imperialism’ - remembering the bombing of Zimbabwe’s Daily News
Twenty-two years after the bombing of a newspaper printing plant in January 2001, the perpetrators are still at large - and a state-sanctioned assault on a free press continues
On Zimbabwean journalists and American democracy
A Zimbabwean journalist invited by the US embassy in Harare to ‘monitor’ the US Midterms has been labelled a ‘Western spy’ by some people at home
The trials, tribulations and irreplaceability of political cartoonists
How political cartoons have evolved in recent decades and are now shaping public discourse in southern Africa
When covering refugee stories makes you a figure of hate
A wave of anti-migrant sentiment is gripping South Africa and those journalists covering it, who are migrants themselves, have become a particular target
If it’s clear who is funding them, community radio stations can transform lives
Community radio has begun to flourish in Zimbabwe in recent years. But for stations to truly support the communities they serve, it is imperative that they are transparent about who owns them
Zimbabwe’s Fourth Estate is under siege
With few job opportunities, harassment by the authorities and a global pandemic, the picture for balanced and truthful journalism is not a pretty one
Reporter’s Notebook – memoirs of an illegal journalist in South Africa
From working shifts in a casino to interviewing a farmer mauled by a tiger - life as a struggling Zimbabwean reporter.
Will Zimbabwe’s journalists be harmed by new cyber laws?
Zimbabwe’s Cybersecurity and Data Protection Bill aims to protect privacy and guard against child sexual abuse depicted online. But it could also seriously hamper a free press.