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MIC to decide on Daily News fate
MISA-Zimbabwe
June 23, 2005

The government-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC) says it is verifying information submitted by Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) publishers of the banned Daily News before determining whether to grant the publishing company an operating licence.

In an interview with The Daily Mirror, MIC chairman Dr Tafataona Mahoso confirmed that the media regulatory body which is also the licensing authority, had last week deliberated on the submissions made by ANZ seeking a licence to resume publication of The Daily News and Daily News on Sunday.

The MIC had in the same vein also considered the fate of Africa Tribune Newspapers (ATN) publishers of the privately owned The Tribune whose operating licence was suspended in June last year.

"The matters were considered over a number of days. What is now only left for us is to make a determination. We have to be satisfied that the information we were given is correct," said Mahoso.

ANZ and ATN were closed in 2003 and 2004 respectively, after the MIC ruled that they had breached certain sections of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

ANZ filed its application to be registered with the MIC following a Supreme Court judgment in March this year that referred the matter involving its protracted legal battle seeking an order to resume operations to the licensing authority.

On the other hand, ATN’s operating licence was suspended for a year after the MIC ruled that it 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 suspension of ATN’s 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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