Outlet |
Medium |
Owner |
Background/History |
Print / Online |
Government of Zimbabwe through Zimbabwe Newspapers Ltd. |
The government bought The Herald from South African group Argus in 1981 after independence, often accused of supporting the government and demonising the opposition party |
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Print / Online |
Government of Zimbabwe through Zimbabwe Newspapers Ltd. |
Publishes along the ruling party’s line because of government control, focuses on the Matabeleland region |
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Print / Online |
Associated Newspapers Group |
Was critical of Mugabe’s government, was banned 2003-2010 and bombed (allegedly by the Zimbabwean government), is extremely popular |
|
Daily News Live |
TV |
Associated Newspapers Group |
24-hour news station based on the Daily News |
TV / Radio |
government of Zimbabwe |
Often accused of being government mouthpiece, formerly the Rhodesian Broadcasting corporation |
|
Print / Online |
unclear, in the past it was supported by donors mainly from the MDC (opposition party) |
Founded in 2005, according to The Zimbabwe All Media and Products Survey, thezimbabwean.co is the most popular website of all weekly newspapers in Zimbabwe. |
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Wilf Mbanga
Wilf Mbanga is the founder, editor, and publisher of The Zimbabwean, which is published weekly in London and Johannesburg. After being declared an “enemy of the people” for his critical coverage of Mugabe and the government, he lived in exile in the United Kingdom for 15 years. In September of 2018, he was finally able to return home. Sandra Nyaira Sandra Nyaira worked for the Daily News in the early 2000s. She was charged with defamation for her articles exposing corruption in Mugabe's government, and she attempted to sue then-Information Minister Jonathan Mayo as well as the government-run Herald for libel and defamation when they accused her of writing fake stories because they did not like her articles exposing corruption. She received a “Courage in Journalism” award in 2002, She was exiled by the Zimbabwe government as part of a crackdown on journalists to UK, but has since returned. Most recently, she has reported on serious issues like child pornography, which led to the accidental banning of her Facebook account, which mistook sources coming to her with information as the spread of child pornography. Davison Maruziva Davison Maruziva has worked for a number of papers throughout Zimbabwe, and has constantly pushed the government limits for fair and accurate reporting. During his time at The Chronicle he broke the Willogate scandal at the government's car assembly plant, which eventually led to the resignation of 5 government ministers in 1989. As editor of The Standard, he was arrested in 2008 for publishing an editorial by an opposition leader criticizing Mugabe and charged with "publishing false statements prejudicial to the state and contempt of court." |
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Magamba Network: Zambezi News
The Magamba Network was founded in 2007 to serve as a youth outlet for activism and free expression about the government. The network produces content on its various YouTube channels (because it was, of course, barred from being played on the television stations). Magamba Network states that its vision is "a democratic and just Zimbabwe" and that its mission is "to use creative forms of youth activism to open up democratic space in Zimbabwe." Both the network and its popular satirical news show, Zambezi News, have been recognized by the Freedom of Expression Awards in the UK. In an article for the Nieman Lab, Samm Farai Monro explains that they started in 2011 to produce weekly DVDs of the show, Zambezi News, which were distributed throughout the country. Over ten thousand a week were being given out. Later, Magamba Network switched to using satellite TV as well as Facebook and Youtube to spread their content, and they are currently watched by 2.2 million households. He sarcastically notes, “I’m sure you’re asking, how do you get away with this? I’d like to categorically state that in Zimbabwe, we have freedom of expression, we just don’t have freedom after expression.” On the left is their most popular show to date, "This is not a coup," which was filmed during the week that Mugabe lost power. Future projects include "a new Africa-wide satire show incorporating contributors from different African countries and our first animation series with a women-driven team and content." |
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"Operation Restore Regasi"
Also in the wake of the political turnover, the play "Operation Restore Regasi" by Charles Munganasa became hugely popular and had many sold out showings. The play is set in the Mugabes' mansion, following the final days of the former president's rule. Its name itself is a joke referring to an army commander's mispronunciation of the coup's actual codename "Operation Restore Legacy." The clip on the left is the South African Broadcasting Corporation's coverage of viewer reactions to the show, which were extremely positive. Daves Ghuza, who runs the Theatre in the Park program which hosted the show, noted that, "Maybe there is now more freedom of expression that is beginning to build up and we need to keep the momentum... We need to keep on pushing the boundaries before these guys in power start actually saying 'it's enough'." |