Bold claim: credibility and public trust are the lifeblood of modern broadcasting, and NBC is dedicated to safeguarding both in an age of rapid digital news. At the October 2025 Broadcasters Convention of Southern Africa in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, NBC Director General and SABA President Stanley Similo stressed that credible storytelling and unwavering public trust are foundational to public broadcasting. He underscored NBC’s role as a trusted validator for news in today’s information landscape.
Mr. Similo emphasized that credibility is non-negotiable in every story, acknowledging the unique pressures and responsibilities that accompany operating as a public broadcaster.
He explained NBC’s newsroom structure: a disciplined, centralized news operation led by a Head of News who reports to the Chief of Programs. While the Director General serves as Editor-in-Chief, staff typically consult him only when a story involves a complex or uncertain angle. Editorial integrity is maintained through a multi-layered internal system, with the Head of News and editors—from the assignment editor to the output editor—guided by a robust editorial policy framework and a comprehensive style book. This framework ensures consistency and ethical reporting, regardless of the story’s origin.
A core pillar of this approach is rigorous fact-checking, which Similo described as essential because news must never be accepted at face value. The verification process helps prevent errors that could lead to apologies or costly legal consequences. The NBC also upholds the Right to Reply as a critical fairness mechanism, ensuring that individuals have a chance to respond and preventing claims of bias or autocracy, particularly on social media.
Similo conveyed confidence in NBC’s standing as a trusted news source, noting that the public increasingly relies on NBC as a “point of validation” to verify circulating information. This trust, however, places greater responsibility on NBC to maintain absolute accuracy and speed, especially as other outlets race to publish first.
According to Similo, NBC remains committed to delivering accurate, fair, and unbiased reporting, supported by a disciplined editorial process that upholds the highest standards of journalism.
To view highlights from Mr. Similo’s discussion, watch here: https://youtu.be/L8CyBAfMc78
