The nongovernmental Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) launched the Media Council of Zimbabwe (MCZ) earlier this month. If MCZ members have their way, the ruling ZANU-PF will cease its stranglehold on the operations of the country's media and task this autonomous body to independently regulate and monitor the media in Zimbabwe.
Several newspapers, including the country's independent daily newspaper, The Daily News and its sister publication The Daily News on Sunday, have been shut down by the government following the introduction of tough media laws aimed at restricting media reporting.
The repressive laws that the government introduced in the past five years have also seen the imposition of state permits on local reporters. Foreign journalists have been barred from working in the country.

International broadcast organizations

CNN and BBC have been among the international broadcast organizations which have become victims of the government crackdown. The government deems these organizations as the distributors of negative information on the Zimbabwean situation.

Government officials have seen a connection between the launch of the opposition political party the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and what they regard as the independent media's anti-government propaganda aimed at pushing the masses to revolt against President Robert Mugabe's 27-year-long rule.

The government believes that the independent media supports the MDC while rubbishing government policies.
Zimbabwe's economy has seemingly irreversibly slid into an abyss that the MDC blames on what it has termed unsound economic, social and political policies that have left Zimbabweans beggars in a country overflowing with natural resources.

Self-regulating Media Council

The country's inflation rate currently hovers above the 3,000 percent mark, with independent analysts predicting that it could reach close to 10,000 percent by the end of the year if the government fails to come up with a rescue package for the economy.

The launch of the self-regulating Media Council of Zimbabwe, according to Zimbabwe Union of Journalists president Matthew Takaona, is a signal from journalists that they can regulate themselves, in contrast with the current scenario where news operations are regulated by a government appointed commission.

Tafataona Mahoso, who has been described by his opponents as a ZANU PF praise singer and media hangman, currently chairs the official Media and Information Commission.
Addressing about 150 journalists and members of civil society that gathered to witness the launch on 8 June, Takaona said the media council seeks to supervise and maintain professional and ethical conduct among the country's media practitioners.

Mandatory regulatory body

‘‘An independent, non-partisan and apolitical media council, as opposed to a mandatory regulatory body, is the best system for promoting freedom of expression. As the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists we support the launch of the voluntary media council and hope it ushers in a new era for the media in this country,'' said Takaona.

He also emphasized that the body should fairly arbitrate on media issues to avoid legal suits as is the order of the day in the country presently. Failure to come up with mature decisions could adversely affect the council.

‘‘This media council comes amid storms from within and without the media fraternity. As such, I would like to urge those elected to this council to desist from making naive decisions that will affect the lifespan of the council because as journalists, we have felt the pain of government regulation.

‘‘I also want to urge the elected members to desist from dabbling in politics as we are not in the business of politics but to regulate and arbitrate, as effectively as possible, media disputes with both government and civic society,'' Takaona pointed out.

The 14-member board includes Reuters Harare correspondent Chris Chinaka, leading financial weekly The Financial Gazette deputy-editor-in-chief and veteran journalist Edna Machirori, former Standard newspaper editor Bornwell Chakaodza, and Associated Press correspondent Angus Shaw.

Other members are Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights lawyer Irene Petras, prominent Harare lawyer Lawrence Chibwe, church representatives Oscar Wermter and Sebastian Bakare, retired judge George Smith, former Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe chief executive officer Muchadeyi Masunda and law lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe Geoff Feltoe.

The other three members will be drawn from editors' associations and the publishers of newspapers in the country.