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Weekly Media Update 2009-12
Monday March 23rd - Sunday March 29th 2009
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
April 03, 2009

1. General comment

The state media's reluctance to embrace the spirit of tolerance embodied in the new coalition government was demonstrated by The Herald's violation of basic journalistic principles governing court reporting due to downright political partisanship.

While it reported recklessly on a criminal trial involving an MDC activist that greatly compounded the damage to his reputation, it censored news of another criminal trial where the evidence reflected badly on senior ZANU PF officials.
Its story on the conviction of MDC official Piniel Denga for possessing explosives without a licence and its censorship of a corruption case in which ZANU PF Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa was implicated in the looting of inputs and other commodities from the state-run Grain Marketing Board (GMB) provided clear evidence of the newspaper's continuing bias and unprofessional journalistic practice.

For example, the paper (24/3) tried to link Denga, who was apparently facing charges of "possessing dangerous weapons" or alternatively "possessing explosives without a licence", to terrorist activity two years ago and gave the impression that he had been found guilty of possessing dangerous weapons.
The paper stated that Denga had pleaded not guilty to the charge of possessing dangerous weapons, but that the magistrate had "convicted him after a full trial". Only at the very end of its story did The Herald report that the magistrate had actually found Denga guilty "of a lesser offence" of possessing explosives without a licence.

Instead, the report gave prominence and credibility to damaging and unsubstantiated state evidence apparently to support the misleading impression that Denga had been in possession of dangerous weapons. While the report stated that the court was told investigations into petrol bomb attacks around the country in March and April 2007 had led to Denga's arrest, it also reported that "investigations established that Denga was organizing and financing acts of terror and violence, which were carried out by suspected MDC-T underground terror groups . . . "

However, no evidence was provided to substantiate such grave allegations and the magistrate evidently dismissed their veracity since he found Denga guilty of the lesser offence. There was also no reference to Denga facing additional charges of terrorism.

Such evident distortion of Denga's trial proceedings was greatly compounded by the story's failure to report that he had, in fact, been acquitted of terrorism charges almost two years ago.

The story was clearly constructed in such a way as to reinforce and renew the impression created by ZANU PF and propagated by the official media at the time that the MDC was behind terrorist attacks in 2007 which ZANU PF used as a basis to victimise MDC activists and lobby for the then opposition party's alienation at various regional fora ahead of the 2008 elections.

This deceitful report stands as a clear example of the extent to which The Herald is prepared to offend professional journalistic practice to mislead its readers - and raises questions over whether the confusion between the headline and the story regarding the amount of Denga's fine was merely a sub-editing literal.
The Herald and its sister publications totally ignored developments in the trial of former CIO operative Jeffrey Tabva and Andrew Raymond Williams over the looting of commodities from the GMB, a case allegedly involving Mnangagwa. While the papers initially reported on the trial when it first came to court more than three weeks ago, they have suddenly remained silent since more details of Mnangagwa's alleged involvement emerged, in open violation of ethical court reporting practice, which obliges the media to follow up on court cases they have initially reported on until their completion.

Only those with access to the private weeklies, The Financial Gazette and The Zimbabwean, got useful updates on the case, further illustrating the urgent need for alternative daily sources of information to the official daily press.

2. ZBC and private radio stations

THE inclusive government's efforts to revive the economy continued to excite intense media debate, making it the most popular topic of the week on both ZBC and private radio stations. See Fig 1.

Fig 1: Distribution of topical stories on ZBC and private radio stations

However, ZBC barely provided robust coverage beyond regurgitating official pronouncements, mainly by ZANU PF officials blaming the new administration's inability to secure foreign direct government funding on alleged US and European Union economic sanctions against the country.

There was no attempt to compare the West's apparent distrust of the new administration to ZANU PF's record of poor governance and the fact that it has yet to demonstrate sufficient dedication to the political agreement. For example, ZBC made no coherent link between the US and EU demands for a demonstrable commitment to democracy by the coalition government and its apparent tolerance for continuing offences against the rule of law characterised by the continuing persecution of perceived opponents and the seizure of white-owned farms.

ZTV (25/3, 8pm) also failed to query President Mugabe's insistence that "the country has no political prisoners" following reservations by the Norwegian government on the continued detention of several MDC activists, and its reporter, Reuben Barwe, suggested that those still in detention had been found guilty of an offence when he said: "Despite clear issues that Zimbabwe has no political prisoners, the Norwegians insisted that those opposition political activists caught on the wrong side of the law should be left alone . . . "

Otherwise, ZBC simply projected Norway, Sweden, Japan and SADC's pledges to help the inclusive government deal with its humanitarian and economic crises as a show of confidence in its operations and a sign of American and EU hypocrisy. As a result, it ignored American and the EU's generous humanitarian aid and magnified only that from Sweden and Norway, which it even tried to pass off as budget support.

ZBC's portrayal of Western sanctions as the only obstacle to an effective coalition also resulted in it censoring Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara's appeals for genuine government reforms to "remove the sanctions we have imposed on ourselves" through poor governance in his maiden Parliamentary address. This only appeared in the private and international media. ZBC only highlighted his calls to the international community to support the country by lifting sanctions, warning that without such support the new government might collapse.

ZBC's coverage of the country's economic and humanitarian crises was mostly portrayed as being under control thanks to various government interventions.

Private radio stations provided more useful updates on the inclusive government, which they portrayed as in urgent need of rebranding for it to gain credibility from international donors. They noted that the continued farm seizures, for example, undermined the government's efforts to secure funding from international donors who view such invasions as evidence that the rule of law has still not been restored.

The private radio stations reported on the country's humanitarian and economic difficulties, including the death of at least 10 prisoners at Harare Central Prison due to malnutrition (SW Radio Africa, 23/3).

While ZBC reported the launch of a Buhera fund for victims of violence and arson, it did not report on any farm disturbances or carry updates on the continued detention of MDC activists.
The private radio stations did and reported them as undermining the effectiveness of the coalition government and a stumbling block to foreign aid.

ZANU PF's active role in using targeted Western sanctions to divert attention from the inclusive government's policy shortcomings was reflected in ZBC's over-dependence on their opinion compared to other parties in the coalition. See Fig 2.

Fig 2: Voice distribution on ZBC and private stations

3. Online Agencies

The inclusive government's efforts to resuscitate the country's economy also received widespread coverage on online news agencies as shown in Fig 3.

Fig 3: Topical stories on online news agencies

Online news agencies were also critical of the new government's performance, and particularly how it remained snared in wrangles over outstanding issues in the Global Political Agreement and alleged breaches of the pact by ZANU PF.

They also reported the international community's reluctance to bail out the government until it had made practical moves to reform. For example, ZimOnline (25/3) quoted US ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee saying the coalition government was "an imperfect union", and that the US would only offer "development aid" after the country had fully democratised.

Their critical approach was reflected by their use of more alternative voices as shown in Fig 4.

Fig 4: Online agencies' voice distribution

4. The public and private Press

The coalition government's efforts to steer the country away from its economic troubles remained topical in the print media during the week. See Fig 5.

Fig 5: Topical issues in the Press

However, almost all 47 stories the government Press carried were public relations reports that depicted the transitional authority as a success story while simultaneously suffocating evident symptoms of tension mirrored by policy conflicts and continued human rights abuses. For example, the official papers wilfully misinterpreted some Western countries' provision of humanitarian aid as a reflection of their softening stance on Zimbabwe.

They avoided telling their readers that the aid was nothing new as Western countries have always given humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe even at the height of their dispute with the ZANU PF government. Neither did they give a coherent breakdown of the humanitarian aid Zimbabwe has received so far and the countries that have contributed the most.

Instead, they simply celebrated modest donations and pledges of help by Norway, Denmark, Japan and a positive report on Zimbabwe by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as indicative of Western nations' policy shift towards Zimbabwe without discussing whether there were any conditions to their promised aid.

For example, The Herald and Chronicle (28/3) welcomed an IMF report commending the government's efforts to re-engage the institution and its commitment to fiscal discipline, but ignored the institution's demands for comprehensive policy reforms before it could assist Zimbabwe. The Herald only hinted at them in another story that criticised the IMF's "insistence on conditions for the readmission of Zimbabwe."

The official papers (26/3) also selectively reported on Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara's parliamentary speech. They highlighted excerpts that reinforced ZANU PF's argument that sanctions were the sole hindrance to the success of the coalition government while suppressing his condemnation of the country's repressive policies.

Similarly, the papers (28/3) subordinated Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's denunciation of land seizures and his call for the arrest of the culprits during a consultative stakeholders' conference to his statements advocating unity in government, thus obscuring the problems that threaten the stability of his administration.

The Herald and Chronicle (25 & 26/3) merely reported President Mugabe denying the existence of political prisoners saying the MDC activists still in detention were "facing criminal charges that required prosecution", while The Sunday Mail (29/3) passively quoted Lands Minister Herbert Murerwa and ZANU PF governors dismissing private media reports of new farm invasions.

There was no attempt to independently verify Murerwa's claims that there were no "new cases of farm invasions" but "an influx of land beneficiaries who were holding on to their offer letters issued more than three years ago who now wanted to occupy their farms" after "it became clear that the land issue was irreversible".

The weekly made no attempt to examine how his statements would affect the investigations of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee.

Nearly all 52 stories the government Press carried on the economy, including reports on the drop in monthly inflation to minus 3.1%, reinforced the notion that the new government's economic intervention was paying dividends while avoiding indicators of a persistent economic stress.
Equally, the papers' nine stories on human rights abuses, which mainly comprised court appearances of incarcerated MDC-T activists and an official denial of killings at Chiadzwa diamond fields, were presented in isolation of on-going state sponsored rights violations against ZANU PF opponents.

It was left to the private papers to expose the defects of the transitional arrangement. Besides highlighting several outstanding issues under the political agreement such as the appointment of governors, permanent secretaries and ambassadors, the private Press also noted the continued persecution of ZANU PF opponents; Mugabe's alleged refusal to swear in MDC-T ministerial nominee Roy Bennett; delays in media law reforms; disrespect for private property rights and a continuing breakdown in the rule of law as being impediments to political and financial stability.

The Zimbabwe Independent (27/3) exposed policy conflicts between the Reserve Bank and the MDC-T headed finance ministry over the central bank's "illegal" and unconstitutional quasi-fiscal policies, while The Zimbabwean on Sunday (29/3) quoted Mines Minister Obert Mpofu dismissing the unity government as "useless and bound to fail."

In addition, the Independent highlighted how the central bank's quasi-fiscal policies had spawned widespread corruption citing five cases before the courts as evidence of the abuse of state resources under ZANU PF's reign.

The private Press also carried 25 stories on human rights violations, which included four fresh incidents. These were the arrest of two white farmers in Chiredzi; ZANU PF violence against MDC activists in Mhondoro; the assault of a striking central bank employee by the police and the erosion of prisoners' rights to dignified life. The rest were follow-ups on previous incidents.
While the official Press gave publicity to MDC government officials, ZANU PF remained the dominant voice among the three parties in the inclusive government as shown in Fig 6.

Fig 6: Voice distribution in the Press

What they said . . .

"People must not be under any illusion at all that because there is a new Government, there will be a stoppage of the land reform programme. Government will continue to settle the landless under the laws of this country" - Mashonaland Central governor Martin Dinha, The Sunday Mail (29/3).

"For the past 10 years, Zimbabweans have been imposing sanctions on themselves through corruption, poor governance, incompetence, mismanagement, fraudulent elections, political violence, and the breakdown in the rule of law. Before we even begin to ask others to remove whatever measures they have imposed on us, we must remove these sanctions we have imposed on ourselves" - Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, ZimOnline (30/3).

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