ZCLDN Engages Media Professionals On Sensitive Reporting

Nomathemba Mathe

The Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network (ZCLDN), a local organization that advocates for drug policy reform, harm reduction, prevention of HIV and the rights of people who use drugs, held a joint event with journalists at a local venue recently, to discuss the impact of choice of words in reporting on sensitive issues.

Amanda Sibanda, ZCLDN Bulawayo Office Manager, explained the motive behind the engagement with journalists, stating that the organization aims to promote responsible reporting on sensitive topics.

Sibangani Nyathi, the Programs Officer for ZCLDN, shared Sibanda’s sentiments, highlighting how the choice of words in reporting can significantly impact people who use drugs, emphasizing the need for careful language selection.

“We encourage media practitioners to avoid stigmatizing words when reporting and refer to them as people who use drugs not drug addicts. This has an impact and affect those who are on the recovery path for they would feel discriminated” said Nyathi

ZCLDN Programs Coordinator, Knowledge Mupembe emphasized the crucial role journalists play in shaping public opinion and influencing societal attitudes, stressing the importance of accurate and sensitive reporting.

“We identified journalists as the critical stakeholders in shaping the society through reporting and discriminating information,” stated Mupembe.

“We capacitated them on good language use when reporting issues to do with drug use and addiction as they play a role in influencing the community so they should de-stigmatize and use the person first language,” added Mupembe.