ABSTRACT
The fact that the mass media has power in constructing and shaping reality is hardly disputable. Through its representation of issues and people, the mass media can influence what people think about and how people think about other people and issues. The media is a medium for raising awareness and understanding about various social issues including religion. However, in Zimbabwe, like many other parts of the world, the media’s depiction of religion and religious issues has been controversial. While some people believe the media promotes an understanding of diverse religious groups, concerns have been raised that the media subtly promotes certain religious ideologies while shunting others to the sidelines. By doing so, the media has been accused of sowing oats of suspicion and misunderstanding between different social groups. Employing textual analysis and informed by the framing theory, this paper analyses the representation of religion and religious issues in the Zimbabwean media. There are many key questions addressed in this paper: How does Zimbabwe’s media represent the country’s various religions and religious groups? What effect does such representation have on public opinions and perceptions? This paper argues that through several commissions and omissions, the media in Zimbabwe represents the country’s different religions and religious groups in a manner that negates Zimbabwe’s religious and cultural diversity.
