A leading Zimbabwean politician warned journalists on Friday against forming an independent media council without the approval of the government, which has closed newspapers and arrested reporters.
Leo Mugabe, a nephew of President Robert Mugabe and a member of his ruling ZANU-PF party, told about 200 journalists at a meeting to launch the council that they should avoid confrontation with the authorities.
The government introduced tough media laws five years ago imposing state permits on local reporters and barring foreign journalists from working permanently in the country. The voluntary media council is a bid to supervise and maintain professional and ethical conduct among journalists in the face of government charges that the media is unprofessional.
Comments
Comments are closed.