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MIC meets over closed newspapers
MISA-Zimbabwe
June 16, 2005

The Media and Information Commission (MIC) was on 16 June 2005 expected to deliberate on the future of the banned Daily News and The Tribune which were closed in 2003 and 2004 respectively in terms of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Although details of the exact nature of the deliberations were not immediately made available, MISA Zimbabwe was reliably informed that the MIC would first consider the application for registration filed by Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) publishers of the Daily News and Daily News on Sunday.

The government-controlled media regulatory body which is also the licensing authority, would later in the day then discuss the fate of The Tribune whose one-year suspension with effect from June last year has since expired.

John Gambanga, the editor of the Daily News told MISA Zimbabwe that they were expecting to be informed of the outcome of the MIC’s meeting later today.

ANZ filed its application for registration with the MIC after the Supreme Court on 14 March 2005 referred the matter in which the media house was seeking an order to resume operations to the licensing authority.

The ANZ had refused to be registered with the MIC pending the decision of the Supreme Court on its constitutional challenges on certain sections of AIPPA.

It subsequently applied to be registered following the Supreme Court judgment on 11 September 2003 which ruled that it was operating illegally as it was not registered with the MIC as required under AIPPA.

In turn, the MIC refused to grant them the licence opening a series of appeals and counter-appeals between ANZ and the MIC which culminated in the Supreme Court judgment in March this year in which it referred the matter back to the Commission.

Meanwhile, Africa Tribune Newspapers (ATN) publishers of The Tribune, was closed in June last year after the MIC ruled that ATN had failed to inform the Commission that The Tribune, initially published on Thursday as the Business Tribune, and on Saturdays as The Weekend Tribune, had merged into The Tribune which was now publishing on Fridays.

The one-year suspension of ATN’s operating licence was on allegations of breaching Section 67 of AIPPA which stipulates that the Commission must be informed of any changes in the titles, frequency and ownership of a licensed media house.

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