Prev: mutant neutrinos
Next: Bashing other's religions.
From: as on 13 Apr 2010 18:19 Tomana to draft media regulations http://www.zimeye.org/?p=16127 By: John Chimunhu Posted: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 Harare - Discredited Attorney-General Johannes Tomana has been handed the task of drafting regulations that will be used by the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) to licence newspapers, ZimEye has learnt. The move has sparked outrage among media players who fear that Tomana, who has been accused of being biased in favour of President Robert Mugabe, may use his influence to block or delay registration of media houses seen as critical of Zanu (PF). Zimbabwe Union of Journalists Secretary-General, Foster Dongozi confirmed the development. He said there were widespread fears that the delays in setting up the Media Commission could be a result of dilly-dallying by Tomana. "A few weeks ago, the President met journalists and was wondering why the Media Commission wasn't working. The Commission has now been told that it has to consult the AG but the AG is the subject of discussion because Zanu (PF) says he is the right candidate while the MDC says he should go. There is a serious problem there because the Commission is supposed to licence new newspapers. I don't know if this is deliberate obfuscation to frustrate media reforms," Dongozi said. The ZMC held its first meeting on March 18 where commissioners discussed the budget. After the meeting, chairperson Godfrey Majonga told the media that the actual business of licensing newspapers might take some time as the budget had to be approved through the normal, lengthy government process before the commission could set up a secretariat and start its work. Getting the $47 000 budget authorized could take several months, according to sources, who said the parent Ministry of Media Information and Publicity was severely underfunded. The Ministry only received $2 million in the current budget, which officials said fell far short of requirements. International journalists meeting here last month expressed dismay at the slow pace of media reforms in the country. International Federation of Journalists President Jim Boumelha said: "We are very much aware of the flourish of announcements made by the government. We are still waiting for the ZMC to start its work. Here in Zimbabwe (the government) continues to deny journalists their freedom." Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has said he prefers media self-regulation as opposed to state regulation.
|
Pages: 1 Prev: mutant neutrinos Next: Bashing other's religions. |