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Zimbabwe: MISA finds chaotic, hostile conditions for journalists
IFEX COMMUNIQUÉ VOL 13 NO 32
August 10, 2004

Zimbabwe's elections in March 2004 are unlikely to be free and fair as long as the government keeps a tight rein on the media, a fact-finding mission by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has concluded. Read the report

A three-person team made up of Botswana-based journalist Pamela Dube, Mozambican editor Fernando Gonçalves and Zambian media lawyer Patrick Matibini conducted a week-long mission to Zimbabwe in June 2004 to examine the state of the country's media and found an environment chaotic and hostile to independent journalists and media outlets.

Their report, "Fact-Finding Mission to Zimbabwe," reveals a country where news media outlets have become polarised along political lines. "The battle lines are no longer the terrain of the political opponents. The media is the battle field.and journalistic ethics are being compromised," it says.

The authors of the report say state media, particularly the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and the daily newspaper "The Herald," issue "hate messages" against perceived political opponents. At the same time, activities of the political opposition are hardly covered. The authors say they heard disheartening stories of journalists who had been fired or denied employment for "daring to criticise" the government. This has forced journalists to sacrifice professionalism and "toe the political line" in the interests of staying employed in the media sector.

According to MISA's 2003 annual report, there were 102 attacks against journalists in Zimbabwe last year, more than any other country in the Southern African Development Community. This included arrests, physical assaults, imprisonment and legal actions.

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