Staff Reporter

 As the 2023 elections draw nearer, the US Embassy in Zimbabwe has intensified its regime change agenda through recruiting local journalists to publish and broadcast anti- Government news.

A source who spoke to this publication said that the US Embassy in Harare recently sponsored a training workshop dubbed ‘Citizen Journalism Masterclass’ where participants were coached on how to report negatively on ZANU PF and the Government of Zimbabwe.

“The US Embassy recently held a workshop to train local journalists on how to report negatively about the Government and ZANU PF. The participants were taught how to use their mobile gadgets to publicize unverified news to their audience. Participants were also told that the forthcoming elections call for ‘citizen journalists’ to counter alleged ZANU PF and Government propaganda,” said the source.

The source added that American film maker, Griffin Hammond was the tutor and he told his students that regime change in Zimbabwe could only be brought with the help of citizen journalists.

“Hammond was the main tutor. Throughout the lectures, he told his students that they should view themselves as people with power to bring down the Government of Zimbabwe. The participants were taught many things, including how to manipulate photographs and videos as well as how to sensationalize news articles,” added the source.

The same source added that among the participants was Bus stop TV, an online television station that mostly broadcast content that demonizes the Government. One of the Bus stop TV crew members, Samantha Kureya, popularly known as Gonyeti, was once accused of faking her abduction in 2019 in a bid to tarnish the image of the Government.

Media analyst, Takunda Chinoda said that in the run up to the elections, it was likely that the online television stations such as Bus stop TV, would be used to peddle news of fake abductions and fake violence and to water down the achievements of the Government.

Meanwhile, the US embassy is reportedly also sponsoring a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) aligned radio station, Change Radio Zimbabwe to penetrate rural areas so that its propaganda against ZANU PF and the Government could get a wider reach.