Why Intersectional Reporting Is Journalism’s Next Frontier

By Christopher Moyo

Identity is never singular. For Zimbabwe’s key population, this truth is especially evident—where sexuality, gender, culture, class, and geography intersect in unique, deeply personal configurations.

Yet media coverage has long struggled to honor this complexity, flattening experiences into digestible, generic profiles.

Intersectionality demands a new kind of journalism—one that refuses to reduce people to labels and instead seeks to understand the overlapping systems that shape their realities. A queer person living in a rural village faces different challenges than one in an urban hub. A trans activist navigating disability experiences discrimination on multiple fronts. These are not complications—they are truths.

The freelance-led media workshops introduced this concept to reporting circles, prompting journalists to rethink their approach to coverage. The resulting Reporting Guide includes modules that address intersectional storytelling, urging writers to consider caste, religion, language, and socioeconomic status in how they construct narratives.

If journalism is to serve a democratic function, it must reflect the full spectrum of society—not just the parts deemed palatable. Intersectional reporting is not a luxury—it is the bedrock of ethical, inclusive storytelling.