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International relations
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
Extracted from Weekly Media Update 2007-48
Monday, December 3 - Sunday, December 9, 2007
December 13, 2007

The government-controlled media gave only favourable coverage of controversial issues surrounding the European Union-Africa summit in Lisbon on December 8-9, celebrating international support for President Mugabe's attendance as a diplomatic victory. This was fair enough, but these media also accused the MDC, Britain and other Western countries of various conspiracies without providing the evidence, and censored reports of international criticism of Zimbabwe in a way that enhanced the measure of Mugabe's "victory". Only the private media reported the criticism.

In the 51 stories monitored by MMPZ, (38 in the government press and 13 on ZBC) the government-controlled media selectively quoted foreign diplomats declaring support for Mugabe's attendance and that Zimbabwe should not be on the summit's agenda. They presented this as clear evidence of widespread regional and international support for Mugabe. For example The Herald (5/12) carried a statement by European Commission president, Jose Manuel Barosso, saying, "This is not - repeat, not - an EU-Zimbabwe summit, but an EU-Africa summit" with an agenda that included "issues as important as peace and security, climate change, development aid, migration and governance."

In their news stories the same day, The Herald and the Chronicle interpreted Barosso's statement as exposing divisions within the EU and being sympathetic towards Zimbabwe because it "flies in the face of campaigns by the opposition MDC, Britain and the US to get Zimbabwe on the agenda of the summit." The two dailies (6/12) buttressed this stance by carrying front-page stories reporting a number of diplomats rejecting efforts to have Zimbabwe officially discussed. They quoted Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Abu Gheit, dismissing a suggestion from the New York-based Human Rights Watch to have Zimbabwe, Somalia and Sudan debated as human rights "flashpoints", saying "only the problem of Darfur" would be discussed in the context of peace and security. The papers gave the impression that many foreign diplomats had declared their support for Mugabe, but relied primarily on the comments of Zambian President, Levy Mwanawasa, Barosso and Gheit to convey this. Radio Zimbabwe (6/12, 1pm) also carried Gheit's comments.

As the summit opened at the end of the week, The Sunday Mail (9/12) unwittingly reported the Portuguese Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, identifying Zimbabwe as being the reason why the summit had not been held for the past seven years, when he was reported saying that he believed dialogue was the best way to solve the two continents' differences. However, the paper deliberately distorted the controversial interest shown in Mugabe by the world's news agencies with its front-page story and picture projecting him as massively popular, claiming that he "stole" the show as journalists "mobbed" him. There was nothing to suggest that the interest was because Zimbabwe was seen as the main cause of friction at the summit. Earlier, ZTV (4/12, 8pm), The Herald and Chronicle (5/12) quoted Mugabe, in his State of the Nation address, praising the European Union, African countries, and hosts Portugal, for "correctly reading and rejecting attempts by Britain to bar Zimbabwe" from attending the summit.

The President's line of thought blaming Britain for the political friction was duly amplified by the government media, which also presented Zimbabwe as an innocent victim of unwarranted Western vindictiveness. For example ZTV & Spot FM (7/12, 8pm) quoted the station's chief correspondent, Reuben Barwe, reporting from Portugal editorializing his news report by saying Zimbabwe was "a small country haunted by its former colonial master for daring to take control of her resources." In the same bulletins Barwe also added his own opinion about why Britain's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, had boycotted the summit. There was no effort to obtain Britain's perspective of this claim - or indeed, from any of the government media for Brown's decision. The British point of view was thus silenced in the government media.

Earlier, the government press reported other events leading up to the summit in the context of attempts to demonise Zimbabwe to effect "illegal regime change." For example, The Herald (4/12) in a remarkably distorted story, claimed that the MDC had "smuggled" party youths to the EU-Africa Youth Forum when, in fact, they had been invited, giving the impression they were infiltrating the meeting illegally. It reported an unnamed government spokesperson objecting that a South African-based organisation had sponsored members of the "opposition-aligned" "bogus" Zimbabwe Youth Movement to attend the Forum at the expense of the Zimbabwe Youth Council, "a recognised youth body". The paper then accused the ZYM of being "linked to the MDC's thwarted attempt at staging an armed insurrection . . . (earlier) this year . . . " and "is also understood to have sought the assistance of some SADC leaders to start an armed revolt against the Government."

The paper avoided attributing this dishonest claim to the spokesperson, but then quoted him saying, "It is these subversive organizations that agents of regime change in Africa prefer to work with, sidelining statutory bodies . . . " The same story also grossly misinformed its readers when it claimed that the MDC had been responsible for an "orgy of violence unleashed . . . in March this year targeting public buses, trains and police stations . . . " while reporting that some of the youths in Lisbon had been "hauled before the courts" as a result, without explaining that all those arrested had been released for lack of evidence. While it appeared the official media sought comment widely from foreign diplomats, they repeatedly quoted individuals who supported Mugabe's participation, as reflected here in the voice distribution of the government press.

Fig 1: Voice distribution in the government press

In contrast, the private media carried 35 stories (13 in the press, 22 in the private electronic media) reporting the extent of the tension created by the controversy surrounding Mugabe's attendance at the summit and whether or not to debate Zimbabwe's human rights record. The Standard and Studio 7, (9/12) reported German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, criticizing Mugabe's misrule, saying the "current situation in Zimbabwe damages the image of the new Africa," adding, "nothing could justify the intimidation of those holding different views and hindering freedom of the press." They also reported that six European heads of state, apart from Britain, did not attend the summit "in protest against the presence of President Mugabe".

The weekly also provided a different picture of the sentiments expressed by the European Commission's president, Jose Barosso, who it quoted indirectly criticizing Mugabe when he said he hoped "those who fought for independence and freedom in their countries can now also accept this freedom for their own citizens." Earlier, the Zimbabwe Independent (7/12) noted that Mugabe was due to attend the summit amid "growing criticism by Western governments that his attendance would divert the summit from its agenda." It quoted Spain's foreign minister saying - prophetically - it would be better if Mugabe did not participate because "he will not bring much and he would be a media distraction."

NewZimbabwe.com (5/12) quoted Ibbo Mandaza, former publisher of the Mirror group of newspapers, saying Mugabe's participation "would bolster his exaggerated self-importance." Studio 7 (4/12), Financial Gazette (6/12) and the Standard (9/12) reported that European and African writers had accused leaders from both continents of "political cowardice" because they were "shying away from (debating) two of the worst humanitarian crises" in Africa - Zimbabwe and Darfur. Studio 7 (and later the Gazette) was also first to report that the United States had added about 42 members of the ruling party to its list of those subject to financial and travel restrictions. NewZimbabwe.com (5/12) and The Financial Gazette (6/12) quoted Mugabe responding to journalists saying the sanctions "have no rationality . . . Americans have no cause, their cause is just hatred to us and I would like to believe there is some racialism in it also."

The private media's coverage was reflected in their voice distribution, which depended on a variety of diplomatic sources.

Fig 2: Voice distribution in the private press

Fig 3: Voice distribution in the private electronic media

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