Robert Mugabe has portrayed various media organisations' criticism of him as motivated by white colonial resentment at him promoting the black majority. Mugabe is excellent at manipulating his own image in sympathetic regions where this would have resonance. In this he is similar to Saddam Hussein's use of his stand against Israel to garner support from the Arab street.
Free reporting ahead of today's election may well have exposed the casual intimidaton that appears to have been going on. It could have confirmed or refuted the opposition MDC's claims of threats that those not voting for the ruling ZANU would be refused even the basic foodstuffs after the elections. It in not only western news organisations like the BBC, Reuters and AP that have been banned. South African journalists have hit out at the restrictions placed on them and their Zimbabwean colleagues.
The Government owned South Africa Broadcasting Corp's news web site has two stories about their country's journalists' criticism. These comments cannot be easily refuted by Mugabe playing the race card against the SABC and its publishing of them. On March 23 SABC reported on the Press Club's remarks about the restrictions:
"The barring of some South African media from covering the Zimbabwe general elections is a blow to democracy, the National Press Club said today. "Freedom of expression and freedom of the media are the cornerstones of democracy - tampering with these is a blow to democracy," said Ben Rootman, the press club chairperson, in a statement. He was responding to the Zimbabwe authorities' refusal to grant accreditation to Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk to cover the March 31 elections.
"Barring Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk from reporting on the general elections in Zimbabwe next week does not auger well for the right to receive information through recognised communications media," Rootman said. Authorities gave no reason for the refusal.
Rootman said the press club had also received no response from Simon Khaya Moyo, Zimbabwe's high commissioner in South Africa, despite numerous requests for him to brief them on the forthcoming elections. "However, serving a free media corps, the club's door remains open and we will entertain such a briefing at very short notice," he said.
Last month three journalists -- Jan Raath and Brian Latham, who both work for a number of British and South African news organisations, and Angus Shaw of the Associated Press -- left Zimbabwe after their offices were raided and they were interrogated by police about allegations that they broke the country's media and security laws. Following their departure, only a handful of foreign correspondents remain in Zimbabwe, including the tiny Reuters and AFP bureaux.
Earlier this month the government-controlled Media and Information Commission cancelled the licence of the Weekly Times newspaper. This was the fourth independent newspaper to be closed in Zimbabwe since 2002. The Daily News, the Daily News on Sunday, and the Tribune had all been closed. In January, Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwe president, signed a law requiring journalists to be accredited by the government. - Sapa"
http://www.sabcnews.co.za/africa/southern_africa/0,2172,100641,00.html
Today the editors of newspapers in South Africa issued a statement about press restrictions in Zimbabwe:
"The South African National Editors Forum (Sanef)has issued a statement on the lack of media freedom in Zimbabwe. The statement says that Sanef is alarmed to note that Zimbabwe's government has failed to lift all restrictions on journalists and media, especially foreign media.
It says that, "While it appears that South African journalists have now all gained accreditation to cover the elections from inside the country, it is clear that the Zimbabwean government, by barring many foreign news organisations, has not demonstrated a full commitment to the free flow of information concerning the elections".
The Sanef statement goes on to say that the government actions do not bode well for free and fair parliamentary elections. It suggests that the "Burma syndrome" - the attempt to prevent news from reaching the outside world - still infects Zimbabwe
Sanef also notes that the Zimbabwean independent media and correspondents based in the country continue to face harassment which has impacted on their ability to cover the election without hindrance."
http://www.sabcnews.co.za/africa/southern_africa/0,2172,101079,00.html