Meet Zimbabwe’s Fearless New Nonprofit Newsroom for Public Interest Reporting
We’re building a newsroom dedicated to hard-hitting accountability reporting and solutions-focused storytelling.
In a world where misinformation and fake news have become the norm, the role of journalism has never been more important. In Zimbabwe, where the government tightly controls the media and independent voices are routinely silenced, the need for a strong, independent, and fearless news outlet is paramount.
That’s why we’re proud to introduce Zimbabwe’s next generation of bold and mission-driven journalism: The Republic, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to hard-hitting public interest and solutions-focused reporting.
At our core, we believe that journalism is a public service. Our mission is to give a voice to the voiceless, hold the powerful accountable, and shine a light on issues that matter most to ordinary Zimbabweans. We’ll do this through investigative reporting that exposes corruption and wrongdoing, enterprise reporting that provides context on issues that bedevil our communities, and solutions-focused stories that offer ideas for how our communities can move forward.
We believe in the essence of slow journalism. Unlike breaking news, which is characterized by quick, surface-level reporting of events, our ‘unbreaking’ news model involves deep, thoughtful reporting that explores complex issues over an extended period of time. This approach allows us to provide more nuanced, detailed coverage of issues that matter most to local populations, and to build trust with our readers by demonstrating our commitment to quality journalism.
We are convinced that slow journalism is essential to our mission of holding the powerful accountable and giving a voice to the voiceless. By taking the time to thoroughly investigate issues and tell stories of weak and vulnerable citizens who are often overlooked or ignored, we can help our communities better understand the challenges they face and better organize their knowledge to hold powerful public and private sector bureaucrats to account.
But we won’t do this alone. We believe that community listening is essential to good journalism, which is why we’ll be working closely with our readers to identify stories that matter most to them. We’ll listen to their concerns, their ideas, and their experiences, and incorporate them into our human-centered reporting. We believe that this collaborative approach will result in journalism that is more local, more inclusive, and more impactful.
We also believe that journalism should be accessible to everyone, which is why we’ve chosen to be a nonprofit newsroom. We won’t be beholden to advertisers or shareholders. Instead, we’ll rely on the support of our readers and well-wishers to fund our work. We believe this model will allow us to maintain our independence, stay true to our mission, and deliver the kind of journalism that Zimbabweans deserve.
But we won’t just be reporting the news. We’ll also be working to build a stronger, more vibrant media ecosystem in Zimbabwe. We’ll be offering training and mentorship to up-and-coming journalists, collaborating with other news outlets to amplify important stories, and working to build trust with our readers and communities. We believe that a strong, independent media is essential to a healthy democracy, and we’re committed to doing our part to make that a reality in Zimbabwe.
We know that building a new kind of newsroom won’t be easy. We’ll face challenges and obstacles along the way. But we also know that the need for this kind of journalism has never been greater. We’re committed to doing everything in our power to deliver the kind of reporting that Zimbabweans deserve: journalism that is fair, accurate, and unbiased; journalism that is driven by public interest and community listening; and journalism that is supported by our readers.
Join us in our quest to build a sustainable newsroom that provides original and hard-hitting reporting. We are excited to have you on board and invite you to sign up to receive our quality news that cuts through the noise.
In the coming months, we will be engaging in deep community listening to gather your feedback on the kind of news outlet and news products you desire. Your input is vital to helping us build a newsroom that genuinely meets the needs of our audiences.
As we work towards building a sustainable newsroom, we will also be focusing on developing revenue models that can weather challenging times. This will require significant effort, but we are confident that with your support and contributions, we can create a robust and self-sustaining news organization that will serve our community for years to come.
To be part of this exciting journey, you can join our WhatsApp Community, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, or send us your feedback via email to membership@therepublicnews.org. We are always open to hearing from you, and your ideas will play a crucial role in shaping our newsroom’s promising future.
Together, we can build a newsroom that is transparent, credible, and sustainable. Join us today and be part of this exciting era in Zimbabwean journalism.
Divine Dube is the Executive Editor of The Republic. He can be contacted via email at ddube@therepublicnews.org
