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VMCZ press statement on the interrogation of Masvingo Mirror editor
Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe
May 18, 2010

The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) commends the editor of Masvingo Mirror, Golden Maunganidze on his ethical and professional stance not to reveal his source in the criminal defamation charges brought against him by Walter Mzembi, a Zanu PF Member of Parliament who also serves as the Minister of Tourism in the inclusive government.

Maunganidze, who is a member of the VMCZ is being charged with criminal defamation under section 96 of the press freedom nemesis repressive Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. He was summoned to Harare Central Police station where he was interrogated for more than six hours.

According to the journalist, the police threatened him with unspecified action if he did not reveal the source of his story that alleged a senior Zanu PF member from Mzembi's Masvingo province collected gifts for President Mugabe's 86th birthday but they mysteriously disappeared before delivery to the president. In his story published in the Masvingo Mirror, Maunganidze did not mention the minister's name but online publications that followed it up mentioned Mzembi as the culprit.

Despite the threats and long hours of interrogation, Maunganidze who insists he has no case to answer was resolute and did not name his source but instead stood by his commitment to ethical and professional conduct. The Zimbabwe media practitioners Code of Conduct that is administered by the VMCZ states in Article 22 that, 'Where a person has agreed to supply information only on condition that his or her identity remains confidential and the media practitioner agrees to this condition, the media practitioner must respect this undertaking and refuse to reveal the identity of the source.'

The VMCZ contends that if journalists cannot protect their sources even in the threat of state apparatus then there is no press freedom in Zimbabwe. Breaching a promise to protect the identity of a source is tantamount to scaring away potential sources who might share information about corrupt government officials or those individuals wielding power in society.

The VMCZ also condemns the abuse of journalists by those wielding political or economic power as it is alleged Minister Mzembi deployed a journalist to Masvingo on a mission to deceive Maunganidze into revealing his source to him as a fellow journalist making a follow-up on the story. Maunganidze confirmed that the journalist in question inquired on the source of his story through text messages that were produced by the police during interrogation. The journalist in question is in violation of Article 3b of the media practitioners' Code of Conduct that impresses on journalists to 'defend the principle of freedom of the media to freely access, collect and disseminate information and to publish comments and criticisms.'

The VMCZ calls on government and those in power to respect the principles of media freedom and also uphold the journalists' right to inform and educate Zimbabwe's general populace on events unfolding in the political, economic or social spheres. We call the protection of journalists against unwarranted harassment, arrest or intimidation of journalists.

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