President Mnangagwa meets state media editors

President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, who arrived back home from the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last night, will this morning at 9am meet selected state-controlled media editors at State House in Harare.

The meeting’s agenda is news, current affairs and information.

This comes at a time when Mnangagwa’s controversial third term project is gathering momentum.

The state media has for years played key role in shaping the ruling party succession narrative towards a certain slant.

Apparently, listed and state-controlled Zimpapers, the biggest media company in Zimbabwe, has appointed Elias Mambo as acting editorial executive in charge of the editorial department after William Chikoto was recently elevated to become chief executive in an acting capacity following the unceremonious removal of Pikirayi Deketeke and other top executives.

A new executive team has been appointed to spearhead the company’s digital restructuring and transformation process, with Chikoto, a veteran journalist, and Mambo leading leading management and the editorial departments respectively.

Zimpapers, a vital cog in government’s information system and ideological state apparatus, is undergoing a major transformation exercise as it actively integrates new digital technologies, through a “superdesk” newsroom model, into its operations.

This is a shift from primarily from traditional print and broadcast distribution of news to a convergence pivot, providing news content through interactive platforms to better engage with modern audiences and remain competitive in the digital media landscape.

Newshawks