Shifting Journalism Boundaries in Zimbabwe

This book investigates the ways in which peripheral news actors in digital media are transforming journalism in Zimbabwe.

Journalism’s boundaries have become blurred, porous and fuzzy as non-traditional news actors—such as bloggers, social media influencers, citizen journalists, start-ups, satirists, comedians and fact-checkers—gain increasing influence in digital spaces. As legacy news media attempt to ring-fence the field, journalism becomes both ‘boundaried’ and ‘boundless’. This book examines how peripheral journalistic practices are impacting Zimbabwe—a semi-authoritarian regime facing significant economic pressures. Taking into account Zimbabwe’s specific sociocultural, political and economic context, this book explores how political issues are mediated by periphery actors, how they deal with challenges to their legitimacy and professionalism, how sustainable their positions are and finally what the implications of shifting journalistic boundaries are for education and training institutions.

As the impact of digital technologies continues to rise, this timely book will be an important read for researchers working on journalism, media and communication, and African studies.