WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2003-02-10 Posted By: Jan
From the News Archives of: WWW.AfricanCrisis.Org
Date & Time Posted: 2/10/2003 2:42:09 PM
Zimbabwe Threatens to ban British Reporters
The Zimbabwe Government yesterday announced that, if the England team do not come to Harare to play their World Cup match against Zimbabwe, then all British newspaper journalists accredited to cover the cricket in Zimbabwe would be thrown out of the country and those who had not yet arrived would be turned away at the door. This tit-for-tat threat is in direct breach of a guarantee that was made to the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the freedom of the media to operate in Zimbabwe during the World Cup. The Zimbabwean Government has long banned Western journalists from operating here but had promised that this veto would be lifted for the period of the six Zimbabwe-based matches of the World Cup. When an ICC delegation visited the country in November to check that Zimbabwe would be fit to co-host the event, this assurance of media access was one of the specific guarantees it sought. The ICC has that guarantee in writing and yesterday it was considering what action, if necessary, would be taken if the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) does proceed to be in breach of it. The ICC was also urgently seeking talks with Vince Hogg, the ZCU chief executive, and Peter Chingoka, the ZCU chairman. The ZCU had, however, been left completely in the dark of the decision taken by its Government. And we journalists were a trifle surprised, too. I first got wind of it when I returned to my hotel room after lunch to find a message to call a certain Edward Mamutse, an official of the Department of Information. Mamutse duly informed me that I might shortly be packing my bags. “The situation awaits a decision from the England team,” he said, clearly explaining the reprisals if England do not come. “As of now, the position is that their media accordingly would not be allowed in. Thats not selective, its blanket.”
The ban does not include television broadcasters, he said. He would not explain why, though given that Sky Television has paid for the TV rights to this tournament, the legal ramifications would be far greater if it was Sky, as well as the print media, which was prevented from covering it. Mark Harrison, spokesman for the ICC, confirmed that the World Cups co-hosts were not simply allowed to decide at will which nationals would and which would not be allowed to write about their tournament. “It would be in breach of their guarantee,” he said. “We sought assurances from the Zimbabwean Government that all media accredited to cover the cricket World Cup in Zimbabwe would be given visas. They said there would be access for anyone covering the matches. Theres a clear understanding on that. We will take up this case and we will take it very seriously.” The ICC has already fought hard for co-operation from Zimbabwe and it has won some battles. However, its decision to place trust in a government that is not exactly low on notoriety does not now look such an intelligent one. The deal for journalists coming to cover this World Cup was initially that we could come into Zimbabwe if we paid an entry fee of $600. The ICC lobbied to have the entry fee dropped and it succeeded. Though it would, of course, have been the height of cheek if the Zimbabweans had charged the $600 and the next day told us all to leave. There is, however, a far bigger issue here than the manhandling of a few sports hacks. This World Cup is a huge showcase for Zimbabwe and its ability to control its image is paramount. If the television pictures can show a well-heeled suburb of the city with a beautiful cricket ground populated by thousands of smiling people, and the tales of famine and police brutality fail to make it into newsprint, then the showcase is all the better.
This explains the police paranoia at the thought of having any public protests at the cricket grounds and their desire to control the sales of tickets. It also explains the window dressing that is appearing around the capital city. For instance, one of the biggest problems that Zimbabwe faces at present is the fuel shortages that have led to long queues outside garages, with cars waiting for many hours for a fill-up. Some garages were told by police yesterday that they were no longer allowed to have these unsightly queues outside their premises. They were not, however, told how to prevent them. The threat to expel British journalists is thus more than a childish act of threatened retribution. And it may never happen, of course; the England team may decide to come. But this is the ICCs World Cup and the ICC must ensure that it maintains control of the reins and does not hand them over meekly to Harare.
Zimbabwe threatens to ban British reporters in reprisal print friendly version
Source:Times (UK)
Published:Mon 10-Feb-2003
By Owen Slot, Chief Sports Reporter
URL: http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID…br>