Come to Zimbabwe and witness the fall of a dictatorship. People power works. The market had gotten used to abusing the suffering masses of Zimbabweans untill early this week when government simply dictated that prices of all commodities raging from foodstuffs to clothing should be cut by 50%, and pandemonium broke loose. Hordes of shoppers literally invaded shops to buy up everything they could lay their hands on. suits meat bread sugar you name it were grabed of shop shelves faster than retailers could restock. In fact is no longer clear whether it is the work of customers whose purchasing power has suddenly been boosted and who are on a buying craze or the shopowners themselves who are taking goods back into their warehouses resulting in the empty shelves.
In Gweru, the midlands capital where Midlands State University is situated transport crisis is looming as commuter transport operators have literally withdrawn their vehicles from the roads in apparent protest against the price freez. people generally are euphoric about the forced price reduction.
"If you compare Mugabe and the so called faceless 'market forces' you find that Mugabe is the more benign dictator of the two," remarked one shopper who had managed to buy 8kgs of beef from a butcher in the city centre. Meat prices had recently climbed out of reach of many average income earners in Zimbabwe. Others interviewed on this recent government policy expressed scepticism about whether the victory over market dictatorship can be sustainable in the long run but said they will celebrate for as long as it lasts.
By the Oracle
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The girl child in the context of HIV and AIDS
In Zimbabwe, cases of rape are on the increase, in particular rape of children and minors. Somehow no one seems to be worried about the HIV infection in a country whose HIV prevalence statistics stand at one in every four adults. Currently the country is fighting to bring down these statistics and the main focus is adult infection and infection to children at birth. Rarely is the subject of rape and newer infections tabled. This story follows a report of about 88 pupils who were sexually abused between January and March this year in the Manicaland province (83 girls and 5 boys). The cases of the boys who were sodomised though, is a separate issue that requires a separate debate. Thus considering that this has happened in one province alone, then one wonders about the larger picture. One is reminded of the Macheke saga, not to mention the numerous stories that are carried in Zimbabwean newspapers.
The girl child thus is one of the most vulnerable regarding newer infections amongst children who were to previously HIV-free children through sexual assault. What makes it worse is the fact that the girl child has traditionally served as a sacrificial lamb, capable of cleansing the clan of any evil or avenging spirits. The AIDS pandemic becomes a newer evil, that in the eyes of rogue traditional healers, requires cleansing before whole clans are wiped out. Consequently, these traditional healers have prescribed virgins as an antidote to HIV/AIDS. Although the percentage of children who fall victim through this is not known, the percentage of rape victims in Zimbabwean society is cause for alarm.
While the media warns children and teenagers of possible abuse, nothing is said of the drastic consequences of infection, HIV infection. To add to this, rapists who infect children get away with light sentences whose levels do not match the magnitude of their crime. The sentence for rape or an indecent act of a minor by an infected adult is not less than ten years. This is reflected in one case carried in The Herald (10 January 2007) of a man who got 12 years for raping a four year old. This is subject to possible parole, meaning that culprits can rejoin society and pose more risks for potential victims. The sentence is ridiculous and worse still, there was no indication that the victim was tested for HIV. This shows a society that appears to be insensitive and oblivious of the wider implications of HIV to the plight of children.
Poverty is also another aspect that is forcing girl children into sexual encounters detrimental to their health. While some girls run away into the harsh environment of the streets, others often become victims of prostitution in a bid to save siblings in dire need of a livelihood. Forced marriage is another phenomenon still rife particularly in the Eastern parts of Zimbabwe amongst some African Apostolic churches; a practice that has its roots in traditional culture. In times of famine, girls could be exchanged for as little as bags of maize meal. In another twist of fate, the girl child falls prey to the cultural practice of chiramu where a younger sister could be ‘wife’ to her sister’s husband.
Whichever way, the girl child happens to carry the extra burden of the world. In families where the parent(s) are bedridden AIDS patients, the girl child usually drops out of school to nurse the sick parent(s); again aggravating the possibility of getting infected. She assumes the responsibility of the family’s needs denying her any hope of a good education. With no help in sight, these children often get the easiest way out- using their bodies for survival; a situation that has resulted in a vicious cycle that is hard to break.
The shocking story of the orphan Tambudzai also highlights another dimension of newer
infections- coerced prostitution (“Four-year-long night-mare” The Sunday Mail, September 24, 2006). The story recounts how she was forced into prostitution by her stepmother and for four years slept with ‘hundreds of men.’ Chances are high she could be infected. All this expresses the vulnerability of the girl child in the HIV and AIDS environment, factors that require special emphasis regarding newer infections in children.
The question, which remains, is, what should be done? It is a fact in this case that the plight of children hinges on the behaviour of adults, which if not changed could result in more unnecessary deaths of children. Stiffer prison terms could see cases of child abuse going down, a fact that can be substantiated by low HIV and AIDS prevalence in Islamic states where any incidence of adultery, fornication and misdemeanors are met with harsh consequences. Media focus should reorient itself to the spread of awareness amongst children, especially very young children of the wider implications of abuse and rid society of behaviour that facilitates their falling prey to pedophilias.
The girl child thus is one of the most vulnerable regarding newer infections amongst children who were to previously HIV-free children through sexual assault. What makes it worse is the fact that the girl child has traditionally served as a sacrificial lamb, capable of cleansing the clan of any evil or avenging spirits. The AIDS pandemic becomes a newer evil, that in the eyes of rogue traditional healers, requires cleansing before whole clans are wiped out. Consequently, these traditional healers have prescribed virgins as an antidote to HIV/AIDS. Although the percentage of children who fall victim through this is not known, the percentage of rape victims in Zimbabwean society is cause for alarm.
While the media warns children and teenagers of possible abuse, nothing is said of the drastic consequences of infection, HIV infection. To add to this, rapists who infect children get away with light sentences whose levels do not match the magnitude of their crime. The sentence for rape or an indecent act of a minor by an infected adult is not less than ten years. This is reflected in one case carried in The Herald (10 January 2007) of a man who got 12 years for raping a four year old. This is subject to possible parole, meaning that culprits can rejoin society and pose more risks for potential victims. The sentence is ridiculous and worse still, there was no indication that the victim was tested for HIV. This shows a society that appears to be insensitive and oblivious of the wider implications of HIV to the plight of children.
Poverty is also another aspect that is forcing girl children into sexual encounters detrimental to their health. While some girls run away into the harsh environment of the streets, others often become victims of prostitution in a bid to save siblings in dire need of a livelihood. Forced marriage is another phenomenon still rife particularly in the Eastern parts of Zimbabwe amongst some African Apostolic churches; a practice that has its roots in traditional culture. In times of famine, girls could be exchanged for as little as bags of maize meal. In another twist of fate, the girl child falls prey to the cultural practice of chiramu where a younger sister could be ‘wife’ to her sister’s husband.
Whichever way, the girl child happens to carry the extra burden of the world. In families where the parent(s) are bedridden AIDS patients, the girl child usually drops out of school to nurse the sick parent(s); again aggravating the possibility of getting infected. She assumes the responsibility of the family’s needs denying her any hope of a good education. With no help in sight, these children often get the easiest way out- using their bodies for survival; a situation that has resulted in a vicious cycle that is hard to break.
The shocking story of the orphan Tambudzai also highlights another dimension of newer
infections- coerced prostitution (“Four-year-long night-mare” The Sunday Mail, September 24, 2006). The story recounts how she was forced into prostitution by her stepmother and for four years slept with ‘hundreds of men.’ Chances are high she could be infected. All this expresses the vulnerability of the girl child in the HIV and AIDS environment, factors that require special emphasis regarding newer infections in children.
The question, which remains, is, what should be done? It is a fact in this case that the plight of children hinges on the behaviour of adults, which if not changed could result in more unnecessary deaths of children. Stiffer prison terms could see cases of child abuse going down, a fact that can be substantiated by low HIV and AIDS prevalence in Islamic states where any incidence of adultery, fornication and misdemeanors are met with harsh consequences. Media focus should reorient itself to the spread of awareness amongst children, especially very young children of the wider implications of abuse and rid society of behaviour that facilitates their falling prey to pedophilias.
By Angeline Madongonda
(PgDip in Media and Society Studies)
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Does the ZBC also listen?
Interactivity between the communicators and the audiences is a very welcome development and is the in thing especially between the mass media and their audiences in this day and age of media convergence.
This has the advantage of providing the necessary feedback the communicators need if they will not feel removed from the audiences. Musical programmes aired through the national broadcaster from time to time invite and receive the audiences’ opinions on the programmes. Sometimes listeners vote for certain musical pieces ratings on the top 40 or 20 are received and aired.
From this feedback, the broadcaster gets a confirmation that out there, there are some people listening to their programmes. On the other hand, the viewers/listeners feel that their participation on the radio or television programmes are taken into consideration.
However, I have wondered whether the presenters on ZBC TV newsnet are at all serious about their call for comments from news viewers. Presenters go to the extent of supplying telephone numbers, fax numbers and the e-mail address. Of course the presentation of this advert has been carefully done – the text of the telephone and fax numbers as well as the e-mail address being dramatically articulated in keeping with the screening of the figures or letters on the screen.
But if there are any people responding to the invitation for comments “to these and other stories” we are yet to hear of such views from audiences being reported on. Is it because there are no people sending their views/comments on news items? One can only wonder. If there are none why should not the invitation be either stopped altogether, or at least changed as it seems not to have any effect. If people have indeed sent in comments what happens to those comments.
By Elikana Shoko
This has the advantage of providing the necessary feedback the communicators need if they will not feel removed from the audiences. Musical programmes aired through the national broadcaster from time to time invite and receive the audiences’ opinions on the programmes. Sometimes listeners vote for certain musical pieces ratings on the top 40 or 20 are received and aired.
From this feedback, the broadcaster gets a confirmation that out there, there are some people listening to their programmes. On the other hand, the viewers/listeners feel that their participation on the radio or television programmes are taken into consideration.
However, I have wondered whether the presenters on ZBC TV newsnet are at all serious about their call for comments from news viewers. Presenters go to the extent of supplying telephone numbers, fax numbers and the e-mail address. Of course the presentation of this advert has been carefully done – the text of the telephone and fax numbers as well as the e-mail address being dramatically articulated in keeping with the screening of the figures or letters on the screen.
But if there are any people responding to the invitation for comments “to these and other stories” we are yet to hear of such views from audiences being reported on. Is it because there are no people sending their views/comments on news items? One can only wonder. If there are none why should not the invitation be either stopped altogether, or at least changed as it seems not to have any effect. If people have indeed sent in comments what happens to those comments.
By Elikana Shoko
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Big Brother says ICU.
The Interception of Communications Bill (ICB) has now sailed through Zimbabwe's House of Assembly, going to the upper house will just be a formality reports Newzimbabwe.com. (see link):
The only hope left is that the good President will take his time to append his signature to it like he did with the NGO Bill. Meanwhile, we can continue with our harmless childish pranks on the President or even sellout to the country's ditractors through the Internet or the cellphone. Very soon the thought police will catch up with all thought criminals like Talkmedia and others in Zimbabwe.
What will be the possible implications of this new law on those of us who live by peddling juicy tit-bits on the unfolding tragedy and its main protagonists in Zimbabwe?
1, Imagine how we shall all miss the unsavoury SMSs cartooning our hitherto good natured President through our cellphones.
2, How we shall all be relieved to have no more silly little jokes lampooning His Excellency, spamming our e-mail boxes.
3, Rumour mongers bent on tarnishing the image of our beloved country, its leaders and its sacrosanct institutions by pretending they were privy to juicy details of scandals will be no longer at ease to pass on their blatant lies to journalists via SMSs, or e-mails since no journalists can guarantee their anonymity anymore.
4, Our media shall be sanitised of all unpatriotic confabs.
5, Critical blogsites like Talkmedia will have to tone down criticism especially if directed to government policies.
Isn't that double plus good in Orwellian Newspeak terms?
By the Oracle.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Was Ankomah doing it for the money?
The truth is not for consumption by those of a weak nervous disposition, otherwise people wouldn’t get paid to write it. That is not what journalism schools are there for, to train people to write it. The truth can be found anywhere else but in the news. Just as physicians live by the hypocritic oath so also journalism’s professional ethic enjoins them to avoid the truth like the plague. Just musing.
It is for this reason that anybody who reads the May edition of the New African magazine’s reporting of the March 11 civil disturbances in Zimbabwe should do so with extreme caution.
Running across the first two pages of the supplement is a three word banner headline “Zimbabwe The Truth” writ large and in bold typeface suggesting to the reader that what they are about to read in the next 73 pages is nothing but the truth about what is going on in a country so deep in political and economic turmoil. Two portrait pictures one of Mr Morgan Tsvangirai leader of the opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and the other of a female police officer both victims of the low keyed political conflict in the country. the one with a wounded scalp, the other with a scalded face, face each other across the page as if to accentuate the unbridgeable divide that separates the political parties they represent, the MDC and Zanu PF respectively.
The headline Ankomah pens for his intro to the supplement “When truth takes a holiday” immediately puts one on their guard never mind the assurances and protestations made about how this collection of stories is going to be different. The appellation ‘Sponsored Supplement’ that marks each of the 26 odd stories on Zimbabwe further reinforces the premonition that truth might be as absent from this collection as it is alleged to have been from the discredited reports by western media.
The reader becomes acutely aware that Baffour Ankomah, the magazine’s editor, was doing it for the money. What the reader has in front of him is not the simple truth but a ‘sponsored version of it’. The point Ankomah’s constructed truth tries to make, that western media has misrepresented the reality on the ground in Zimbabwe is itself much less convincing given the official sources he relies on.
A case in point is the interview with Mr Godwin Matanga the Deputy Police Commissioner whose rationalization of his charges' brutal assault on Mr Tsvangirai insults the reader’s intelligence. How a single man, unarmed, could possibly have attempted to overrun a whole police camp, ends up with a cracked scull without him inflicting a scratch on any policeman boggles the mind.
The truth probably lies in all that hasn’t been said or written about the Zimbabwean situation in general and the events of 11 March in particular. Is the truth so disquieting that no journalist dares write about it and no newspaper publish it?
One is reminded of John Pilger's remark that real truth is always subversive, that truth comes from the ground up, almost never from the top down.
How do Ankomah’s stories on Zimbabwe's disturbances of March 11 measure up to this standard of truthfulness?
By the Oracle
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Opinion: Zimbabwe government paranoid about private press
Government’s hard line stance against the private media smacks of paranoia. This unfortunate development, on close examination is a result of government’s excessive desire to control and influence the formulation of opinion. The private media on the other hand has responded by attacking government whenever they get the chance.
The privately owned media are accused of being western funded and the government believes that they are being used by the west to champion a regime change agenda in the country. This seems to be a lame excuse used by authorities to persecute the private media. The media are supposed to report truthfully and it is unfortunate that our government views alternative views as views of its enemy. Alternative views are treated with suspicion even if they are constructive.
The independent media has not helped either, some of the articles, especially on Internet based publications like Zimdaily and NewZimbabwe have probably given the government some reason to be paranoid and heavy handed. A case in point is a story published on Zimdaily a few weeks ago that dwelt on President Mugabe’s manhood. Although the editors defended the story arguing that the issue was of public interest the story seemed to be inspired more by malice and not by a genuine need to inform.
Furthermore, there seems to be a relentless attack on government by the private media. Snap surveys of most of the ‘independent’ papers show that most of the stories are blatantly anti-government. Whether this is so because government always fails or the private media has an ulterior motive is not clear. This polarization where we have pro government and anti-government media has all but sealed the fate of objectivity within our media.
There is also a situation where the media are now paying more and more attention to political issues and neglecting all other issues that maybe of equal if not of more importance to their audiences. This can be attributed to the prevailing situation where politics has penetrated all spheres of our social life. Instead of taking a different route to government, the private media also seem to have developed a habit of reporting mostly politics albeit with a biased tone.
The hostile legislation in the form of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (2002) was the beginning of a nasty crusade against press freedom in the country. This restrictive piece of legislation underlined government’s suspicion and paranoia against the private media. Shortly after AIPPA was passed into law, The Daily News and The Daily News on Sunday were closed down and other publications like The Tribune have been closed down mostly because they were perceived to be too critical of government.
The coming of AIPPA also brought the criminalization of journalism as well as sustained government brutality against journalists in the private media. Government has shown little or no remorse over these alarming levels of intolerance and recently the Minister of State Security Cde Didymus Mutasa was quoted in The Standard as saying that he wished that these pieces of legislation would be there forever. This arrogance from a government official just goes to show how low our leaders have stooped in their quest to restrict media freedom.
Access to public information is also restricted especially to the private media. Most government officials refuse to speak to journalists perceived to be working for the “opposition” press and this leaves the private media with no sources with which they can verify facts. This issue has led to disenchantment within the private media and it has further fueled the already rife suspicion of mismanagement on the part of government.
The detention and torture of journalists by state security agents is another pointer towards government’s intolerance. It has contributed to the frosty relations between the government and the private media. Journalists are not allowed to carry out their work freely unless they subscribe to government’s populist ideology.Consequently,freedom of expression is curtailed and there is a persistent threat of violence against journalists who portray views perceived to be detrimental to government policy. The inhuman treatment of media practitioners by the government is not doing any good to the government whose international human rights record is, to say the least, unimpressive.
Another blatant display of paranoia by the government is its desire to influence and control media training institutions. Recently, there was an unconfimed story in The Independent that alleged that prospective students in The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the Harare Polytechnic needed to have undergone National Service Training. Due to the fact that national service training centres are said to be indoctrination bases, this initiative shows government’s desire to produce a journalist cddre devoid of objectivity.
Whether it is government paranoia or the private media’s recklessness that has led to the polarization of our media, one thing is certain. We need coorperation from both parties to build a vibrant and objective media whose agenda is to enhance the well being of the nation. There is an urgent need for the media to rise above trivial sectoral interests in order to play a truly informative role.
The privately owned media are accused of being western funded and the government believes that they are being used by the west to champion a regime change agenda in the country. This seems to be a lame excuse used by authorities to persecute the private media. The media are supposed to report truthfully and it is unfortunate that our government views alternative views as views of its enemy. Alternative views are treated with suspicion even if they are constructive.
The independent media has not helped either, some of the articles, especially on Internet based publications like Zimdaily and NewZimbabwe have probably given the government some reason to be paranoid and heavy handed. A case in point is a story published on Zimdaily a few weeks ago that dwelt on President Mugabe’s manhood. Although the editors defended the story arguing that the issue was of public interest the story seemed to be inspired more by malice and not by a genuine need to inform.
Furthermore, there seems to be a relentless attack on government by the private media. Snap surveys of most of the ‘independent’ papers show that most of the stories are blatantly anti-government. Whether this is so because government always fails or the private media has an ulterior motive is not clear. This polarization where we have pro government and anti-government media has all but sealed the fate of objectivity within our media.
There is also a situation where the media are now paying more and more attention to political issues and neglecting all other issues that maybe of equal if not of more importance to their audiences. This can be attributed to the prevailing situation where politics has penetrated all spheres of our social life. Instead of taking a different route to government, the private media also seem to have developed a habit of reporting mostly politics albeit with a biased tone.
The hostile legislation in the form of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (2002) was the beginning of a nasty crusade against press freedom in the country. This restrictive piece of legislation underlined government’s suspicion and paranoia against the private media. Shortly after AIPPA was passed into law, The Daily News and The Daily News on Sunday were closed down and other publications like The Tribune have been closed down mostly because they were perceived to be too critical of government.
The coming of AIPPA also brought the criminalization of journalism as well as sustained government brutality against journalists in the private media. Government has shown little or no remorse over these alarming levels of intolerance and recently the Minister of State Security Cde Didymus Mutasa was quoted in The Standard as saying that he wished that these pieces of legislation would be there forever. This arrogance from a government official just goes to show how low our leaders have stooped in their quest to restrict media freedom.
Access to public information is also restricted especially to the private media. Most government officials refuse to speak to journalists perceived to be working for the “opposition” press and this leaves the private media with no sources with which they can verify facts. This issue has led to disenchantment within the private media and it has further fueled the already rife suspicion of mismanagement on the part of government.
The detention and torture of journalists by state security agents is another pointer towards government’s intolerance. It has contributed to the frosty relations between the government and the private media. Journalists are not allowed to carry out their work freely unless they subscribe to government’s populist ideology.Consequently,freedom of expression is curtailed and there is a persistent threat of violence against journalists who portray views perceived to be detrimental to government policy. The inhuman treatment of media practitioners by the government is not doing any good to the government whose international human rights record is, to say the least, unimpressive.
Another blatant display of paranoia by the government is its desire to influence and control media training institutions. Recently, there was an unconfimed story in The Independent that alleged that prospective students in The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the Harare Polytechnic needed to have undergone National Service Training. Due to the fact that national service training centres are said to be indoctrination bases, this initiative shows government’s desire to produce a journalist cddre devoid of objectivity.
Whether it is government paranoia or the private media’s recklessness that has led to the polarization of our media, one thing is certain. We need coorperation from both parties to build a vibrant and objective media whose agenda is to enhance the well being of the nation. There is an urgent need for the media to rise above trivial sectoral interests in order to play a truly informative role.
By Innocent Yekeye,
Bsc Honours in Media and Society Studies Level 2.2
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Western embassies snub MSU World Press Freedom Day commemmorations
The United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Christopher Dell and his British counterpart Dr Andrew Pocock failed to show up at a belated World Press Freedom Day function organised by Midlands State University’s Media Department, last week Thursday.
The two had been invited to take part in a five-panel presentation on the role the media has played in shaping relations between Zimbabwe and the two western nations. Invited to speak on the same subject were the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information Mr George Charamba, the CEO of the Media and Information Commission Dr Tafataona Mahoso and Mr Bornwell Chakaodza, former editor of The Standard.
The two had been invited to take part in a five-panel presentation on the role the media has played in shaping relations between Zimbabwe and the two western nations. Invited to speak on the same subject were the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information Mr George Charamba, the CEO of the Media and Information Commission Dr Tafataona Mahoso and Mr Bornwell Chakaodza, former editor of The Standard.
Of the five invited guests only Mr Charamba and Dr Mahoso turned up for the function which kicked off almost an hour later than the scheduled time as the hosts were kept waiting for the arrival of the full panel of guest speakers who had all confirmed they were coming.
It ended up being a one sided debate as both the Permsec and MIC CEO presented government’s view on the topic. Presentations by the two ambassadors and from Mr Chakaodza representing civil society were expected to give alternative views helping to enrich the debate. But it was not to be.
It ended up being a one sided debate as both the Permsec and MIC CEO presented government’s view on the topic. Presentations by the two ambassadors and from Mr Chakaodza representing civil society were expected to give alternative views helping to enrich the debate. But it was not to be.
No apologies or explanations were given for this last minute change of heart and cancellation and it left the gathered students wondering whether this was a sign that even those who were wont to preach the virtues of plurality of views and tolerance of dissenting opinions were after all not so tolerant themselves in practice.
Probably they felt that they could not share the same platform with representatives of a regime widely blamed for a poor human rights record. For the British Ambassador it could be understandable as it later emerged that there were probably more pressing issues at home with Prime Minister Tony Blair resigning on the same day.
In fact what happened on Thursday had been ironically captured in the very title of the debate: “The perceived role played by the media in the con(de)struction of bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and Britain and the USA: The case of what ought to be and what is”.
What could more clearly and emphatically demonstrate the gulf that exists between the ideal and reality? Ideally that all opinions should be given an equal opportunity to compete in the market place of ideas forms the bedrock of democratic liberalism but this has probably not happened anywhere else in the world, no not even in the so called cradles of democracy in the west. In fact Mr Charamba dismissed as fiction the argument that there was any free press in the world and that the watchdog role the press claims for itself was inherently compromised as media are always pandering to the interests of those who own them.
Mr Charamba said he did not find any problem with both Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and the Broadcasting Services Act and state regulation of the media in general since every state has a legitimate interest in the opinion formation process of its people.
In fact what happened on Thursday had been ironically captured in the very title of the debate: “The perceived role played by the media in the con(de)struction of bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and Britain and the USA: The case of what ought to be and what is”.
What could more clearly and emphatically demonstrate the gulf that exists between the ideal and reality? Ideally that all opinions should be given an equal opportunity to compete in the market place of ideas forms the bedrock of democratic liberalism but this has probably not happened anywhere else in the world, no not even in the so called cradles of democracy in the west. In fact Mr Charamba dismissed as fiction the argument that there was any free press in the world and that the watchdog role the press claims for itself was inherently compromised as media are always pandering to the interests of those who own them.
Mr Charamba said he did not find any problem with both Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and the Broadcasting Services Act and state regulation of the media in general since every state has a legitimate interest in the opinion formation process of its people.
"Press freedom may be the ideal but it has remained exactly that - a case of what ought to be. The reality is that western governments exercise the same if not much more insidious control on their media by simply going to bed with media owners. Otherwise, how does one explain the phenomenon of embedded journalism so popularised in the western media's coverage of the invasion of Iraqi," said Mr Charamba.
He went on to say it was more important to talk about freedom of expression which the Constitution of Zimbabwe guarantees in Section 20, rather than on the narrow interests of the press in a country that is largely rural and where much of the communication takes place by means other than solely through the press.
By the Oracle
By the Oracle
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