Editing Harare (section)

== Media ==
Harare is host to some of Zimbabwe's leading media outlets. Despite accusations of government censorship and intimidation, the city maintains a robust press, much of which is defiantly critical of the current government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/press-freedom_critics-decry-zimbabwes-press-freedom-failures/6198806.html|title=Critics Decry Zimbabwe's Press Freedom Failures|website=Voice of America|date=26 November 2020 }}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=July 2024}} In print media, the most internationally-famous paper is the ''[[The Herald (Zimbabwe)|Herald]]'', the city's oldest newspaper, founded in 1893 and former paper of record prior to its purchase by the government. The paper is best noted for its heavy censorship during the [[Rhodesian Front]] government from 1962 to 1979, with many of its articles appearing as redacted — with black boxes marking the words removed by government censors — before its forced purchase.<ref name="auto20">{{cite web|url=https://library.columbia.edu/libraries/global/virtual-libraries/african_studies/countries/zimbabwe/news.html|title=Zimbabwe: Online News & the Internet &#124; Columbia University Libraries|website=library.columbia.edu}}</ref> Today it is largely seen as little more than a government mouthpiece by residents and overwhelmingly supports the government line.<ref name="auto5">{{cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/africa/more-newspapers-hit-the-streets-of-harare-as-zimbabwe-media-industry-opens-up-1.517360|title=More newspapers hit the streets of Harare as Zimbabwe media industry opens up|date=1 July 2010|website=The National}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In contrast, private newspapers continue to adopt a more independent line and enjoy a diverse and vibrant readership.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} These include the [[Financial Gazette]], the financial [[paper of record]] which is nicknamed 'the Pink Press' for its tradition of printing on a pink broadsheet. Other newspapers include: the ''[[Zimbabwe Independent]]'', a [[centre-left]] newspaper and ''de facto'' [[paper of record]] noted for its investigative journalism; the ''Standard'', a centre-left Sunday paper; ''[[NewsDay (Zimbabwean newspaper)|NewsDay]]'', a left-wing tabloid; ''H-Metro'', a mass-market tabloid; the ''[[Daily News (Harare)|Daily News]]'', a [[left wing]] opposition paper; and ''Kwayedza'', the leading [[Shona language]] newspaper in Zimbabwe.<ref name="auto5"/>{{Additional citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Online media outlets include ''ZimOnline'', ''ZimDaily'', the ''Zimbabwe Guardian'' and ''NewZimbabwe.com'' amongst others.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2018/01/19/muckraker-hunt-democracy-land-despotism/ |title=Muckraker: The hunt for democracy in the land of despotism - the Zimbabwe Independent |access-date=28 November 2020 |archive-date=2 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402102309/https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2018/01/19/muckraker-hunt-democracy-land-despotism/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://library.stanford.edu/africa-south-sahara/browse-topic/news-country/zimbabwe-news|title=Zimbabwe news|website=Stanford Libraries}}</ref><ref name="auto20"/>

=== Television and radio ===
The state-owned [[ZBC TV]] maintains a monopoly on free-to-air TV channels in the city, with private broadcasters (such as the now-defunct Joy TV) coming and going based on the whims of the government.<ref>[http://www.theindependent.co.zw/2012/02/16/muckraker-zbc-has-taken-over-the-rbcs-mantle/ 'MuckRaker: ZBC has taken over the RBC's mantle'], ''[[Zimbabwe Independent]]'', 16 February 2012</ref> As such, many households that can afford the cost subscribe to the satellite television distributor [[DStv]] for entertainment, news, and sport from Africa and abroad.

In November 2021, it was announced that six new free-to-air private television stations would go live in Zimbabwe and join ZBC TV after the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe issued licences, ending the 64-year monopoly enjoyed by the state-owned broadcaster. Zimpapers Television Network, a subsidiary of diversified media group Zimbabwe Newspapers Ltd, was one of the channels awarded a free-to-air television licence. The other five were NRTV, 3K TV, Kumba TV, Ke Yona TV, and Channel Dzimbahwe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Major milestone as six new TV stations get licences |url=https://www.herald.co.zw/major-milestone-as-six-new-tv-stations-get-licences/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=The Herald |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-30 |title=Zimbabwe awards new TV licences, but only to regime-linked players |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/52603/zimbabwes-new-television-licenses-media-pluralism-without-diversity/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=The Africa Report.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Harare is also well served by radio, with a number of the country's leading radio stations maintaining a presence in the city. There are currently four state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation channels (SFM, Radio Zimbabwe, Power FM and National FM), as well as private national commercial free-to-air stations such as Star FM, Capital 100.4 FM, and ZiFM. In addition, Channel Zim (an alternative satellite channel) and [[Voice of America|VOA]] Zimbabwe both broadcast via inexpensive free-to-air decoders.<ref name="auto10">{{cite web|url=https://www.myguidezimbabwe.com/travel-articles/radio-stations-in-zimbabwe|title=Radio Stations in Zimbabwe|date=24 July 2019|website=My Guide Zimbabwe}}</ref> Eight newly licensed local commercial stations have been commissioned, but were not yet on air as of 2020.<ref name="auto10"/>
 
Commercial stations tend to show similar trends in programming, with high percentages of music, talk radio or phone-in programs, and sports, with only infrequent news bulletins. Despite the country's 16 official languages, virtually all broadcasts occur in English, Shona, and Ndebele.<ref name="auto10"/>