Independent press lashed again

Information Minister Jonathan Moyo has again lashed out at the independent media in Zimbabwe accusing the editor and journalists of the ‘Zimbabwe Independent’ of “colluding” with foreign correspondents especially journalists from the BBC, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said in an update on Thursday.

MISA quoted Moyo as saying that the BBC was “colluding” with the newspaper in sourcing its stories and “tarnishing” the government.
According to MISA, Moyo alleged that the editor of the ‘Zimbabwe Independent’ Iden Wetherell had published an off the record conversation that Moyo had with the BBC. “The newspaper he edits is forever flippant, insulting in all its coverage of Africans except sell-outs and uncle Toms. Even their senior reporters like Dumisani Muleya write stories in which nouns are always personalised and in which all verbs are replaced by insulting adjectives,” Moyo was quoted as saying.

A spokesman from the Media Monitoring Project in Harare told IRIN on Thursday that Moyo’s “latest attack” on the independent media was “part of a campaign by the minister to justify upcoming legislation to discredit the independent media”. “This is part of a campaign by Moyo to place even more restrictions on independent journalism in Zimbabwe,” he said. Before commenting on Moyo’s remarks, the spokesman alleged to IRIN that his organisation’s phone was being tapped by the authorities.

“To me Iden Wetherell is either a British spy, agent or just an ordinary stupid white man who like the British, whose songs he sings everyday and has no respect for Africans,” charged Moyo. “At the moment there is no difference talking to Learnmore Jongwe (spokesman of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change) and Dumisani Muleya (a journalist with the ‘Zimbabwe Independent’). They have the same interests and the same approach and that is dangerous for journalism,” said Moyo.