Only a handful of foreign correspondents were accredited, while major media groups such as the Associated Press, South Africa’s E-TV and Sunday Times, U.S. broadcasters CNN and MSNBC, and Britain’s BBC were all refused permission to cover the elections.
When the government rejects all fears of a rigged election, why did it try to shield these elections from the vast majority of professional journalists? asked the Foreign Correspondents Association of Southern Africa, FCASA, which represents 192 journalists from 122 media around the world.
Government press secretary George Charamba has said that a government team had examined 300 accreditation requests from foreign journalists to cover the elections. But the majority were blocked since we are aware of attempts to turn journalists into observers, or to smuggle in uninvited observers and security personnel from hostile countries under the guise of the media, Charamba said.
FCASA slammed the astronomical fees of some US$1,700 demanded by Zimbabwean authorities for journalists to cover the poll.
The whole process is creating an ‘elite’ of journalists allowed to do their jobs in Zimbabwe, belonging to a certain race or chosen nationalities, and benefiting from the support of rich media, the organization said.
Post published in: News