Chen Chimutengwende
Minister of Information
Government of Zimbabwe
Harare
Zimbabwe

Vienna, 11 June 1999

Dear Minister,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives, is deeply concerned by an announcement you made in Parliament on May 19 indicating your intention to draw up legislation establishing a code of conduct for all journalists and imposing unspecified sanctions on any who defy it.

You allegedly reported to the Parliament that your officials were in the process of drafting an “information policy” which would “establish through an Act of Parliament a statutory media council.” The council would be in a position to “register and sanction journalists who breach the code of conduct,” you explained. The new code would apply to all media practitioners” whether in the state or private media.

IPI is deeply concerned about this initiative and strongly urges you to immediately scrap this misguided policy. In functioning democracies around the world it is widely accepted that only the media can regulate the content of their material. Any other system is susceptible to abuse of power and automatically opens the door to censorship. This would be a hugely regressive step for a country like Zimbabwe which has in many ways shown itself to be one of Africa’s democratic leaders. Self-regulation – codes of professional conduct drawn up by the media and monitored by the media – is clearly the only method which effectively monitors the medias’ performance without legitimizing concerns regarding undue editorial interference.

We are also concerned about recent statements you made in connection with regulating the operations of private sector media organizations in Zimbabwe, particularly your proposal to forbid foreign investment in the private media sector. As we understand the situation, the media will be designated a “strategic sector” which in effect requires potential investors or donors to gain approval from the Zimbabwe Investment Centre before they can get financially involved in a Zimbabwean media enterprise. IPI questions the motives behind this proposal. It is difficult not to subscribe to the view held by many Zimbabwean journalists that this policy is designed to keep the developing independent press weak and isolated from any international influence. We urge you to reconsider this position and make a firm public commitment to the plurality of published opinion and freedom of the press in Zimbabwe.

We thank you for your kind attention and eagerly await your prompt response.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director