IF it weren’t for my love for KK, I wouldn’t have written a second article on ZNBC and their seeming lack of professionalism.
One would understand that being a public broadcaster, it is bound by double verification policies before airing any item. On the death of our beloved KK, we expected ZNBC to break the news exclusively before youngsters like Kalemba and Mwebantu did a double on them.
Why should we spare ZNBC, if they even failed to get hospitalization footage? As a public broadcaster, they had a lot of leverage and unfortunately, they failed the big test. Â
Is bashing ZNBC, which we hear is manned by highly qualified personnel justified? The simple answer is no because as we might all be aware: the public broadcaster has a multi-layered decision-making process.
You can’t fault their indecision; it seems communication cascades through multiple levels until it hits the small screen. The final product is a condensation of multiple reasoning.
Professionalism dictates that a public-funded station must broadcast in the interest of the public. Regardless of whether it has turned propagandist or not, it should provide well-packaged information in a timely manner.
Is it true that no one from ZNBC saw it fit to provide expected programming for the hospitalization of KK? Even an exterior view of Maina Soko Medical Center, with reporter soundbites, could have done the trick.
Critics of ZNBC say the concentration of late, is steeped towards politics. Can we say ZNBC is completely enamored by a certain section of politicians and has no power to think on its own?
Before Mandela died, we got extensive coverage from a press eager to provide a befitting send-off. The same applied to Diego Maradona, perhaps with a bit of press intrusion. Did ZNBC learn anything from the coverage of the death of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband?
I’m told that before Madiba died, ZNBC out of hindsight, sent two senior staff to South Africa to cover the event. Why didn’t the institution glean anything from that outing?
Reporting from hospitals is a common feature with public figures. With ZNBC in tow both public and private media, could not muster the courage to provide befitting footage, even outside Maina Soko.
Even when foreign media, Kalemba, Mwebantu, and other youngsters broke the news, there was no urgency from ZNBC. It was business as usual. Looking ahead, we have seen a slight improvement in the coverage of the mourning period.
I hope the days ahead won’t see a drought in regard to relevant and well-packaged documentaries on KK. We don’t want this period to be punishing to the broadcaster because of its state of unpreparedness.
We now expect historical and befitting footage of our hero. Revisit the archives, provide appropriate audiovisuals. Is footage for his early days, struggle, imprisonment, marriage, and the pre and post-colonial period missing?
My fondest memory of KK happened more than 30 years ago when he planted a tree next to mine at Chongwe Boys Secondary. In the same year, a picture of him admiring a simple microscope I had made for my project, appeared in some newspapers.
We will fight to have a day in your honor. Perhaps we could wrestle the obscure Unity day, which falls on the first Tuesday of July. Maybe our polarized citizens can be asked to volunteer for 97 minutes. Rest in power KK.
The author is a social commentator who writes for pleasure.
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