Zimbabwean journalists have been urged to embrace audio-visual technology and mobile journalism tools to improve reporting on poverty alleviation and national development initiatives.
The call was made by Professor Zhang Long of the School of Journalism and Communication at the Communication University of China, in Beijing, during a presentation titled “Technology Empowered Audio-Visual Communication: How to Tell the Story of Chinese Modernisation through Visual Media.”
Addressing Zimbabwean journalists attending a media seminar, Prof Zhang said poverty alleviation is central to modernisation and should be communicated through modern storytelling tools that enhance public understanding.
“Chinese modernisation is characterised by common prosperity for all. Targeted poverty alleviation shows that development must be inclusive and people-centred,” he said.
He explained China’s targeted poverty alleviation model, where skilled professionals are deployed to rural communities to support development initiatives.
“Teachers and other professionals are sent to rural areas to use their skills to alleviate poverty. They sacrifice their professions for community development,” Prof Zhang said.
Prof Zhang also highlighted China’s inter-provincial “twinning” system, where wealthier provinces support poorer regions through investment, expertise, and market access.
“This solidarity ensures no region is left behind in the march to modernisation,” he said.
He urged journalists to use tools such as drones, mobile phones, and short-form video platforms to document development progress and human stories.
“Use drones to show transformation from rural to modern communities. Follow families overcoming poverty. Visual storytelling builds trust and engagement,” he said.
According to Prof Zhang, digital platforms now play a major role in shaping narratives, with over a trillion online video views recorded globally, making audio-visual communication a powerful tool for public awareness.
The seminar, organised by the Academy for International Business Officials, brought together Zimbabwean journalists from both public and private media houses to enhance their understanding of China’s development model and media systems.
