Journalists blast government media stakeholders’ conference

By Violet Gonda
23 April 2009

The Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, comprising the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum, Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe, MISA Zimbabwe and the Africa Community Publishing Development Trust, has heavily criticised a proposed government media stakeholders’ conference which is littered with anti press freedom participants.

The Ministry of Information, Media and Publicity, sent out invitations for the conference, titled, ‘Towards an Open, Tolerant, and Responsible Media Environment’, scheduled to be held in the resort town of Nyanga from 6-9 May 2009. According to the government the objective of this conference is to review the current media environment and policies in order to guide the Government’s media policy.

The controversial and discredited Minister of Media, Information and Publicity, Webster Shamu, will give the opening address, with his deputy Jameson Timba providing closing remarks. A few individuals from the independent media have been slotted in, such as Andy Moyse from the Media Monitoring Project plus Joram Nyathi and Vincent Kahiya from The Independent newspaper. Nonetheless media groups have said most of the proposed presenters/facilitators have been, or are, hostile to media freedom and the free flow of information within Zimbabwean society.

Controversial speakers include former information minister Jonathon Moyo, who is accused of crafting the draconian Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and who was personally responsible for ensuring independent radio stations were stopped from operating, while Media and Information Commission Chairman Tafataona Mahoso led a partisan media body to shut down the country’s only private daily newspaper. The long list of speakers also includes individuals like Johannes Tomana, who has abused his office as the Attorney General to settle political scores.

The Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) & the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe said: “We regard the outlined agenda and topics for discussion as fatally compromised and anathema to media freedom and the principles of the Global Political Agreement.”

Iden Wetherell, from the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum, said the line up looks like ‘a rogues' gallery of media molesters’. Speaking on SW Radio Africa the editor said: “Jonathan Moyo is prominent among them. Johannes Tomana, Chris Mutsvangwa, Olly Marume, Tafataona Mahoso and Tarzan Mandizvidza. So this gives you some idea, some flavour of who will be attending the conference and the sort of views they represent.”

Wetherell said the conference will only provide these individuals who have actively fought against media freedom, an opportunity to justify their past record.

He said the conference is totally flowed and the agenda reflects the discredited mantras of the State. “Attorney General Tomana is going to be speaking on freedom of expression, the media and the rights of the State. Who has ever heard of a media freedom conference conferring on the rights of the State?” Wetherell asked.

The independent media groups said they will not participate in a charade which plays lip-service to the media, without actually covering the topic in any detail. However they stated that they remain committed to engaging government in crafting a credible agenda for genuine democratic media-law reform.