Imagine being cursed, called a witch, and told you'd suffer for simply doing your job. That's exactly what broadcast journalist Doreen Avio says happened to her after a controversial interview with musician Mzbel.
Doreen Avio recently recounted a deeply upsetting experience involving Mzbel following an interview that aired on Joy FM. In an interview with YPD News, Avio revealed the emotional distress she suffered after Mzbel allegedly hurled insults and curses her way, even accusing her of witchcraft. "There’s a female celebrity who stressed me out. I’ve never heard anyone tell me that I’m a witch until she said that to me. She cursed me that I would suffer in life," Avio stated, highlighting the sheer shock and hurt she felt.
To understand how things escalated to such a point, let's rewind to the beginning. Avio explained that she was assigned to cover breaking news about the arrest of a female celebrity. "I was on my way to work and I got a call from my boss. My boss said there’s breaking news and I asked him what the news was about, then he said a female celebrity had been arrested by the police so I should go there. I didn’t even know her personally; she wasn’t my friend but I just had to do my job," she explained, emphasizing that it was a purely professional assignment.
According to Avio, her boss contacted Mzbel beforehand, informing her that Doreen would be calling for an interview and Mzbel reportedly agreed to this arrangement. Doreen then personally reached out to Mzbel to confirm the interview and, crucially, to inform her that the conversation would be recorded.
"When I got to the office, my boss called to inform her that I would call and interview her so she should tell me everything she said to him and we would play it on radio. She agreed. I also called to inform her that I would interview her but it would be recorded," Avio detailed. "She said she didn’t have a problem with that. Mzbel and I had the interview and everything was recorded. Maybe she thought it would be aired on only Hitz FM," she speculated. And this is the part most people miss: the assumption of where the interview would be broadcast. Was it a genuine misunderstanding, or something more?
During the interview, Avio said that Mzbel made some serious allegations against the police, including claims of inappropriate behavior. "When I finished the interview, it was such a big issue because she made a lot of allegations against the police. She said they were fondling her and other things," she said. These were heavy accusations that warranted further attention.
Given the gravity of these allegations, the production team at Joy FM requested the recording. "Joy FM’s production team came to me and said they needed that interview to be out because if that’s what the police did to her, it was not cool. We gave them the interview and they aired it on Joy FM," Avio explained. But here's where it gets controversial... Was airing the interview on a more prominent platform, despite initial assumptions, a responsible act of journalism or a breach of unspoken agreements?
Avio's troubles began after the interview was broadcast. Mzbel allegedly accused her of recording the interview without her consent. "After the interview was aired, I didn’t have peace because Mzbel started creating issues for me. She said I didn’t inform her that I was recording the interview and I asked why then did I interview her if not to be recorded," she narrated, clearly frustrated by the accusation.
The situation escalated to a management meeting, where Avio claims Mzbel broke down in tears in front of the station's General Manager and other staff members. "They called her for a meeting and if you had seen how Mzbel cried at the meeting. She cried in front of our general manager and everyone present. I was asking myself whether the devil wanted me to lose my job. I was confused and didn’t understand what was going on," Avio recounted, highlighting the bizarre and stressful nature of the situation.
Avio staunchly defended her professionalism, emphasizing her training and experience in journalism. "I’ve been interviewing celebrities every day. If God knows this job is not good for me, I wouldn’t be here today," she asserted. "Even if I didn’t know about the job, I learnt on the job, I didn’t make that mistake because I was taught that before you interview someone, you need to let them know so I did it."
This whole ordeal raises some interesting questions. Was there a genuine misunderstanding about the scope of the interview's broadcast? Or was there a deeper issue at play? And perhaps most importantly, what responsibility do journalists have to protect their sources, even when those sources make serious allegations? What are your thoughts? Do you believe Mzbel's reaction was justified, or was Doreen Avio simply doing her job?
