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Daily Media Update No.37
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
April 25, 2008

Post-election focus
Today, the government dailies selectively covered regional leaders' critical views of the Zimbabwe crisis. The papers also presented the state of the country as normal, focusing primarily on the official opening of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair instead of providing critical information about the country's increasingly poisonous electoral standoff. Nothing was mentioned on the fate of the presidential poll, although the papers carried 12 passive election-related reports. By comparison, the Zimbabwe Independent provided more credible news of Zimbabwe's growing political crisis and how it has affected the region.

The Herald and the Chronicle's selective coverage of regional leaders' comments on the Zimbabwean situation was evident by the manner in which the dailies seized on the statement by South Africa's ANC president Jacob Zuma, that "President Mugabe could not be blamed for the situation in the country" to buttress earlier comments by South African President Thabo Mbeki, that "there is no crisis in Zimbabwe". They also quoted Zuma attacking Britain saying its "bullying attitude has strained relations between the two countries". But up until now, the papers have ignored Zuma's earlier criticism of the electoral process in the country, which only appeared in the private papers and in the bulletins of online agencies.

In its news "analysis" section, a Herald editorial must have surprised many of its readers when it lashed out at Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, even though the paper has never published much of his previous critical observations about the Zimbabwean crisis.

The Herald's "defensive reporting" manifested itself again today in the manner the paper followed up the Chinese arms shipment story by passively quoting the former Minister of Legal and Parliamentary affairs Patrick Chinamasa saying, "Zimbabwe had a right to arm itself to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity". The papers continued to justify and minimise China's complicity in the weapons purchase by again quoting Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu indicating that the deal was "signed last year and had nothing to do with the elections" adding that China's, "long-held policy that economic dealings with other countries, including the sale of arms, adhered to strict non-interference in sovereign affairs".

The main focus of the same story was actually based on imaginative speculation that the United States government might be considering the possibility of armed intervention on the basis of an article in an American newspaper suggesting the idea. The paper reported that, "a leading American daily intrinsically linked to the United States' ruling elite has proposed that the Bush administration arm the MDC while simultaneously weakening the government to abet illegal regime change". No effort was made to seek comment from the US government on this clearly concocted conspiracy theory.

As usual, The Herald confined itself to reporting only incidents of political violence allegedly committed by the MDC-T while ignoring other incidents of politically motivated violence allegedly committed by ZANU-PF aligned groups, which has only emerged in the private media. For example The Herald claimed that "suspected MDC-T supporters" torched more than eight homesteads belonging to ZANU-PF supporters in Chiendambuya resettlement area in Headlands.

The government dailies have now downgraded the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's updates of its recounting exercise to smaller front-page stories, noting today how ZANU PF Zvimba North candidate Ignatius Chombo had increased the margin of his victory by 155 votes. No surprises there then. But why withhold the results of at least three more constituencies, the results of which appeared in The Independent?

The Herald also buried important information about a substantial coalition of Zimbabwean church groups that called on ZEC to "release the true results" of the elections and had urged African nations and the UN to help end Zimbabwe's political crisis.

The Independent carried more informative stories about Zimbabwe's political crisis and the violence taking place around the country. For instance, the paper suggested that the vote recount exercise was a bid by ZANU PF to "reverse its recent defeat and buy more time for President Robert Mugabe", adding that the plan was now "in disarray" because of the nine completed recounts there had been no change; the MDC had retained its seats in Zaka and three Gutu constituencies, while ZANU PF had retained the two that had been disputed. The Independent also noted that ZANU PF needed to win the 14 remaining recounts to control Parliament.The paper also reported that SADC was "pushing for a government of national unity as a solution to Zimbabwe's political crisis" and that regional leaders had opposed a presidential run-off, arguing that its outcome would be disputed especially if Mugabe won.

The Independent exposed growing international and regional pressure against the Mugabe regime following the interception of the Chinese arms shipment, quoting Minister of State at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Mark Malloch-Brown telling the House of Lords that Angola's ambassador to London had assured him that the "ship will not be allowed to unload in Angola". Malloch-Brown added that civil society and the governments of the region would take "huge action" to ensure "no more arms arrive and reach this illegitimate government to allow them to suppress their people".

The Independent also carried a report on political violence against MDC officials and communities believed to have voted for the MDC in the March elections. It recorded nine fresh incidents of such violence, all allegedly committed by ZANU PF supporters.

Fig 1: Voice distribution in The Herald and Chronicle

Fig 2: Voice distribution in The Independent

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