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Inadequate news coverage
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
Weekly Media Update 2007-9
Monday March 5^th 2007 – Sunday March 11^th 2007

THE government media also poorly informed their audiences on other socio-economic issues in the week, such as the delay in the release of ‘O’ Level results and endemic corruption in high places.

For example, all of ZBC’s nine reports on these matters were piecemeal and barely went beyond official pronouncements. Some of the reports also censored pertinent developments, particularly on the alleged smuggling of diamonds by senior government officials.

For example, while the broadcaster reported the arrest of 31 905 people for ‘illegally’ dealing in minerals under Operation Chikorokoza Chapera, it completely censored the arrest of senior government official William Nhara on allegations of attempting to smuggle diamonds out of the country.

This only appeared in the official papers and the private media.

However, the government Press’ 24 stories on the illegal diamond deals also stuck to official explanations. Rather than investigate the extent of the scandal or expose the implicated government officials, they largely restricted themselves to official rhetoric on the alleged involvement of the ruling elite. Only one story in The Sunday Mail (11/3) tried to investigate the situation at Chiadzwa diamond fields and the police efforts to stop the illegal mining of the precious stone.

For example, The Herald (8/3) simply reported that "tempers flared" in Parliament when MDC MP Job Sikhala called on government to "take to task" some "senior government officials and Politburo members who were allegedly involved" in diamond mining. Reportedly, this "raised the ire" of Matabeleland North governor Thokozani Mathuthu who asked Sikhala to name the alleged officials.

No effort was made to establish the veracity of Sikhala’s allegations. Neither did the paper quiz Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa about whether these offenders would be "arrested and prosecuted" as he had promised.

Similarly, The Manica Post and The Herald (9/3) merely announced that the police had "sealed off" the Chiadzwa diamond fields "amid reports that some top officials were abusing their offices to loot the precious minerals" without attempting to reveal the identities of those involved.

There was equally no clarification on the delayed release of results of last year’s ‘O’ Level exams. ZTV and Spot FM (5/3, 8pm), for example, failed to give a coherent explanation on what exactly caused the delay. Although ZTV (5/3) mentioned that it had failed to get a comment from the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council, it failed to follow up the matter or seek information from the Education Ministry.

Similarly, ZBC (6/3,8pm) only reported that the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Bus Operators and the Ministry of Transport to stabilize bus fares had been rendered useless by recent fuel price hikes without questioning the unstable economic environment under which it was signed. In fact, ZBC failed to give audiences an update on the social contract and its feasibility in the hyper-inflationary environment.

Although the government Press’ sourcing pattern appeared diverse as captured in Fig 1, it remained uncritical.

Fig 1 Voice distribution in the government Press

Only the private papers were probing in the 10 reports they carried on diamond deals.

The Financial Gazette (8/3), for example, carried an investigative report that sought to expose the intricate network that was allegedly "facilitating" the smuggling of diamonds out of the country at Harare International Airport, which it claimed had "links" to some senior ruling party officials.

The following day, the Independent reported on allegations of diamond smuggling by River Ranch allegedly using UN vehicles driven by some of its workers since the vehicles were "not subject to search and seizure under UN conventions". The allegations, contained in a letter from a lawyer from Bubye Minerals (a company that is involved in a protracted legal battle with Ranch River over the control of the diamond mining rights) were, however, dismissed by River Ranch as "nonsense".

The Sunday Mail also reported the company denying the allegations.

Apart from investigating the diamond smuggling, the private papers also exposed how the police were harassing members of the public during their crackdown on alleged diamond dealers (The Standard 11/3).

The private electronic media largely steered clear of such reports. Except for their coverage of Nhara’s arrest (Studio 7 and New Zimbabwe.com 5/3), they otherwise concentrated on reporting human rights abuses.

The private Press’ sourcing pattern is shown in Fig 2.

Fig. 2 Voice distribution in the private papers

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