In this TutuTalk in the series collaboration between the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation and the African Leadership Institute, Hopewell Chin'ono, a 2008 Tutu Fellow and award-winning Zimbabwean journalist explains how he switched his goals from law to journalism and the ethical underpinning beneath that decision.

In his Tutu Talk titled "The Journalist's Calling - Exposing the truth in the face of oppression", Hopewell says journalists must be driven by a clear understanding of what is right and just to be able to report resolutely on the truth and endure the oppression that ensues.

In one instance, after reporting on COVID-19 being used as a pretext to clamp down on political opposition organising, security agents raided his home and seized him. He was taken without warrant and held in a maximum security prison for 43 days in dire conditions before he was granted bail after four attempts by his legal team. His bail conditions included surrendering his passport and the title deed to his home. 

He says it was his time in Britain that exposed him to the professional possibility that it is possible to be both polite yet able to ask hard questions of people in power and press them for an answer that helped him grow as a journalist.

The interview is also found at the Tutu Legacy Foundation YouTube channel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About AFLI

 

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The African Leadership Institute (AFLI) focuses on building the capacity and capability of visionary and strategic leadership across the continent. Developing exceptional leaders representing all spheres of society, the Institute’s flagship programme is the prestigious Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship. Offering a multifaceted learning experience and run in partnership with Oxford University, it is awarded annually to 20-25 carefully chosen candidates, nominated from across Africa. Alumni of the African Leadership Institute form a dynamic network of Fellows passionately committed to the continent’s transformation, bridging the divide between nations and ensuring that Africa is set centre-stage in global affairs.