Zimbabwe on Thursday launched a media council to oversee the press that will have the power to caution, fine and suspend journalists or refer them to court for prosecution.
The media in Zimbabwe are tightly regulated and journalists are not allowed to work in the country without accreditation.
Godfrey Majonga, chairman of the Zimbabwe Media Commission, said the new Zimbabwe Media Council was formed to protect the public interest and regulate the professional and ethical standards of the press.
“One of the objectives of the council is to lighten the public’s burden in approaching the courts for redress to breaches made by mass media services,” Majonga said at the launch, calling the council a “cheaper, quicker and faster route to solve problems of ethical breaches”.
Majonga said in case of a breach the council can caution, fine or suspend the offending journalist or refer the matter for prosecution. The council can also suspend the registration certificate of a media organisation found to be in breach of professional standards.
Majonga said the body will aim for “reconciliatory decisions agreeable to both sides”.
The council is chaired by Henry Muradzikwa, a veteran journalist who once headed the state news agency Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency.
Several Zimbabwean journalists were arrested last year on various charges including defamation.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a long-time rival of President Robert Mugabe, has vowed to abolish the country’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which bans foreign journalists from working permanently in the country.
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