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Eye on ZBC – April 2013
The Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
May 27, 2013

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Zim regains Western confidence - ZBC

The high profile visits by dignitaries from Western countries and reports indicating that some sections of the West were now supporting President Mugabe and his controversial policies, such as land reforms, were presented by ZBC as evidence of Zimbabwe regaining Western confidence.

But the way the national broadcaster provided this evidence in their news reports did not seem to entirely sustain this notion.

The most basic weakness of the reports appeared to be the broadcaster’s inability – whether through omission or commission – to directly quote the diplomats saying these things. This, in turn, generally undermined the accuracy and credibility of ZBC’s assertions.

In one such case, the national television station, ZTV (30/4, 8pm), reported Norway as having “disassociated itself from Britain and the European Union’s stance to impose illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe”, indicating that it wanted to restore good bilateral relations with Zimbabwe.

This story was reportedly based on remarks by Norwegian Ambassador Ingebjorg Stofring during her courtesy call on Zanu-PF’s national chairman, Simon Khaya Moyo, that Norway was “desperate for a renewal of relations which turned sour when the country got entangled in a bilateral dispute which was essentially between Britain and Zimbabwe” (ZTV, 30/4, 8pm). Apart from reporting Stofring as having “begged” for Zimbabwe’s friendship, ZTV also depicted Norway’s alleged stance as “a continuing momentum other European countries have taken of late after realizing that the dispute between Zimbabwe and Britain has cost them investment, trade and other business opportunities in Zimbabwe”.

Nowhere in the story is Stofring given a sound bite directly saying what was attributed to her.

Earlier, ZTV (11/4, 8pm) reported visiting Denmark’s State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ib Petersen as having told his Zimbabwean counterpart, Simbabrashe Mumbengegwi, that Denmark was “ready to re-engage Zimbabwe and assist in rebuilding the national economy”. The station claimed that Denmark, which is a member of the EU, “was sucked into the bilateral dispute between Zimbabwe and Britain and relocated its embassy to Zambia”. ZTV (14/4, 8pm) added: “After pulling out its embassy from Zimbabwe at the height of the Harare-London dispute over land in 2002 and later returning in 2009, Denmark is once again working with Zimbabwe for development”.

In other stories, ZTV (16 & 18/4, 8pm) reported Zimbabwe’s relations with the US as “normalizing” on the strength of a visit by American State Department Special Envoy Ambassador Andrew Young.

The station reported Young indicating that the US was “prepared to move beyond sanctions” after meeting President Mugabe and during a public lecture at Sapes Trust in Harare.

The former US Congressman asserted that the US needed “reassurance that Zimbabwe is peaceful as it was known in the past and that the world hopes to see the beginning of a new flowering of freedom and democracy” (ZTV, 16/4, 8pm).

ZTV (16/4, 8pm) also reported Young as having “saluted Zimbabwe’s land reform programme which has empowered and transformed the lives of over 300 000 Zimbabwean families, saying it was very successful”.

Young’s sentiments were reportedly echoed by another prominent visiting civil rights campaigner the Rev. Jessie Jackson, who was reported “commending Zimbabwe for the strides made in recent times saying the environment is very ripe for the country to forge development partnerships with the outside world” (ZTV, 30/4, 8pm).

The US civil rights activist was reported saying this after meeting Mugabe. In addition, Jackson reportedly said he was “anxious to see the sanctions go and to see the removal of any barriers hindering strong cooperation between Zimbabwe and some countries”.

In this context ZBC reporter, Judith Makwanya, declared: “The United States, which decided to side with Britain in the Zimbabwe-Britain dispute, has imposed sanctions which have been hurting ordinary people for the last decade”.
Apart from reporting Western countries as falling over each other to reengage Zimbabwe, ZBC also reported that Zimbabwe’s relations with other countries such as United Arab Emirates; Malawi; South Africa; Palestine; South Sudan; Pakistan; DRC; Japan; and Cuba were “cordial” and “strengthening” (5, 7, 18, 26 & 29/4, 8pm).

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