Taurai Masamba

A Harare billboard company has called out the ghostly pro-opposition online publication, the ZimDaily for using an image of a billboard with its (Narno’s) logo to mount an online campaign for the release of a mother and her child who is among the activists arrested last month in Harare on charges of calling for and attending an unsanctioned gathering.

The photojournalist who took a picture of the opposition activist which formed the basis of the publication’s online campaign also questioned why the publication used the image without her consent.

The publication used the photo shop design software to superimpose an image of the activist and her child with a message criticising Government for their incarceration on another image of a billboard structure owned by an outdoor media company, Narno Media, without its consent. The resultant image looked like a picture of a real billboard campaign for the activist’s release. This misled some opposition supporters and other like-minded people into sharing the image online.

Peeved by ZimDaily’s unprofessional conduct, Narno Media wrote to the publication on Tuesday this week to register its displeasure and requested it to pull down the offending image.

“As a company, we pride ourselves in operating without any political bias or influence. It is essential to us that our brand remains neutral. I understand that it may have been used for illustrative purposes but I kindly ask for your understanding in removing it from your page / posts,” read part of Narno Media’s letter.

Instead of regret and contrition, ZimDaily chose arrogance and playing politics on a purely business matter. The publication accused the advertising company of being petty and insensitive to the issue which it described as serious.

“While I understand your concern about maintaining a politically neutral brand image, I find your concern to be both misplaced and petty, especially given the serious issue highlighted in the image,” ZimDaily wrote back.

The publication mistook the marketing company for a news media entity because the latter uses the word media in its brand description and accused Narno Media of neglecting “its duty under Section 44 of the Constitution to protect and promote the right to liberty of all individuals, including children.”

It should be noted that under Section 71 of the Prisons and Correctional Service Act, children of incarcerated mothers can stay with their mothers, with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) providing a safe and supportive environment for them.

ZimDaily even attempted to force Narno Media to take a position on the matter despite the fact that the outdoor advertising company has a constitutionally-guaranteed right to choose not to.

“Your request fails to acknowledge the serious issue raised in the image. It is disheartening to see that, instead of addressing the significant matter at hand, Narno Media is more concerned with superficial brand image concerns. This approach undermines the very principles of justice and human dignity that the constitution seeks to protect,” the publication shamelessly blabbered on.

As if the Narno Media infringement was not enough, the publication also used a billboard image depicting a pan-African outdoor media company, Alliance Media’s billboard, which had a background that many said was Zambian, to push its campaign and create the impression that it was gaining traction continentally. At the time of publication, Alliance Media had not yet raised a complaint.

To make matters worse, ZimDaily did not seek permission from photojournalist, Emma Zihonye, who took the original picture of the opposition activist and her child at the Harare Magistrates court, which ZimDaily used for the campaign. Zihonye also raised issue with the publication, which responded by accusing her of supporting President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Government instead of addressing her complaint.

It took pressure from many professional and progressive journalists on social media to convince the publication to relent. It finally apologised to Zihonye yesterday and undertook to pull down from social media all materials containing the image at the centre of the issue.

The Zimbabwe Association of Female Photographers (ZAFP) was not happy with ZimDaily’s half-hearted, insincere and perfunctory apology. The association wrote to the publication yesterday demanding a proper apology, admitting that it was wrong and making a commitment to responsible journalism. The publication pledged to craft a better apology.