Information Minister Jonathan Moyo threatened to invoke the recently passed Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act against the Daily News editor-in-chief Geoff Nyarota for “continued misrepresentation”.
Moyo said the Daily News knowingly published a false report that the joint African Caribbean Pacific-European Union parliamentary assembly passed a resolution calling for a re-run of the presidential poll in Zimbabwe.
He asked the paper to make a public correction or face legal action but Nyarota said he would rather go to jail than correct a story that was 100 percent correct.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE808, MEDIA REPORT INFORMATION ACT; HARARE
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
271446Z Mar 02
UNCLASSIFIED PTQ7585
PAGE 01 HARARE 00808 271503Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AS-01 A-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00
DS-00 EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00
LAB-01 VCE-00 NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 IIP-00
DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /005W
——————7B5542 271503Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1344
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON
UNCLAS HARARE 000808
SIPDIS
AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND
SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI
FRAZER
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT INFORMATION ACT; HARARE
¶1. THE INDEPENDENT DAILY “THE DAILY NEWS” FACES LEGAL
ACTION AFTER ALLEGEDLY CONTRAVENING CERTAIN SECTIONS
OF THE RECENTLY ENACTED ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND
PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT. ACCORDING TO FRONT-PAGE
ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN THE MARCH 27 EDITIONS OF THE
“DAILY NEWS” AND THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY “THE
HERALD,” INFORMATION MINISTER JONATHAN MOYO HAS
THREATENED TO BRING CHARGES AGAINST “DAILY NEWS”
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF GEOFFREY NYAROTA FOR “CONTINUED
MISREPRESENTATION.” MOYO SAYS THAT THE DAILY NEWS
KNOWINGLY PUBLISHED A FALSE STORY IN ITS MARCH 22
REPORT THAT THE JOINT AFRICAN CARIBBEAN PACIFIC-
EUROPEAN UNION PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY PASSED A
RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A RE-RUN OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
POLL IN ZIMBABWE. MOYO HAS ASKED THE PAPER TO MAKE A
PUBLIC CORRECTION OF THE “DELIBERATE FALSEHOOD” OR
FACE LEGAL ACTION IN TERMS OF THE ACCESS TO
INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT. THIS IS
THE FIRST TIME THE CONTROVERSIAL ACT HAS BEEN INVOKED
SINCE IT WAS ENACTED ON MARCH 15.
¶2. IN RESPONSE TO MOYO’S LETTER, NYAROTA IS QUOTED IN
A FRONT PAGE ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE MARCH 27 EDITION
OF THE “DAILY NEWS” AS SAYING: “I WOULD RATHER GO TO
JAIL, IF IT PLEASES THE HONORABLE MINISTER, THAN BE
FORCED BY HIM TO PUBLICLY CORRECT A STORY THAT IS 100
PERCENT CORRECT. IF MOYO GENUINELY BELIEVES HE CAN
INTIMIDATE ‘THE DAILY NEWS’ IN THIS MANNER THEN IT IS
PATENTLY CLEAR HE FAILS COMPLETELY TO COMPREHEND HOW
MUCH THE PAPER VALUES ITS INDEPENDENCE.”
SULLIVAN
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 03 HARARE 00808 271503Z
UNCLASSIFIED
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