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Media and Information Commission's term expires
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
Weekly Media Update 2005-24
Monday June 27^th – Sunday July 3^rd 2005

IT emerged through The Financial Gazette (30/6) that the term of office of the government-appointed Media and Information Commission (MIC) expired on June 30^th.

The paper reported that the Information Ministry still had to decide whether to extend the term of the Tafataona Mahoso-led commission or replace it.

However, Secretary for Information George Charamba was evasive on the issue, saying the commission was still in office and government "will decide whether to dissolve or re-appoint" it "at the appropriate time". The paper though, did not help its readers to clarify this claim by seeking independent legal opinion on the matter.

Instead, it quoted unnamed sources speculating that the commission could be dissolved because the Information Ministry, which is "currently pushing for a conciliatory approach" in dealing with the media, wanted a "self-regulating media body".

There was no evidence to support such arguments. Notably, the rest of the media failed to follow up on the matter.

As a result, the public remains ill-informed about what AIPPA – the law that establishes the MIC – stipulates regarding the end of the commission’s tenure.

Neither did the media seek clarification about the fate of the papers the commission had shut down before the expiry of its term. In the absence of a renewal or the appointment of a new commission there is now doubt over whether a legal instrument exists to make a ruling on the application by Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe to re-publish its closed publications, The Daily News and The Daily News on Sunday, or to consider allowing The Tribune to reopen following the expiry of its one-year ban in June.

In addition, the media did not address the question of how journalists and new media houses would be registered - as stipulated under AIPPA - following the expiry of the Mahoso commission’s term of office. The failure of the media to report on these important matters, particularly within its own sector, is a clear dereliction of journalistic practice, which also manifested itself in the private media missing the junior doctors’ strike for better pay and working conditions during the week.

This only appeared – belatedly - in the government media.

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