Conflict journalism, coloniality and election violence in Zimbabwe: The case for Ubuntu ethics.

This article examines how coloniality—the persistence of colonial power structures and epistemologies—manifests in conflict journalism in Zimbabwe, focusing on election violence reporting between 2000 and 2013. Drawing on decolonial theory and Ubuntu ethics, it reveals that Zimbabwean print media predominantly engage in "war journalism," emphasizing conflict and polarization aligned with Eurocentric and colonial legacies, rather than peacebuilding approaches consistent with Ubuntu, an African ethical philosophy centered on community, mutuality, and harmony. The study, based on interviews with nineteen Zimbabwean journalists and editors, highlights challenges such as political coercion, resource constraints, urban-centric reporting, and partisanship that perpetuate colonial modes of knowledge and power in media coverage. It advocates adopting Ubuntu ethics in journalism to foster more context-sensitive, community-oriented conflict reporting that counters coloniality and promotes reconciliation in postcolonial African societies.