Al-Jazeera wants Zim bureau
2006-01-18 21:34
Harare - The Qatar-based Arabic news channel al-Jazeera is trying to open a news bureau in Zimbabwe, state radio reported on Wednesday.
Representatives from al-Jazeera met information minister Tichaona Jokonya and other government officials earlier in the day, the report said.
Zimbabwe has tough media laws that prohibit foreign journalists from working permanently in the country.
International media houses may apply for a licence to operate a bureau, but have to pay stiff registration fees in foreign currency and agree to employ only local reporters if accredited.
President Robert Mugabe and his government say Zimbabwe has been the butt of a hostile Western media campaign because of its controversial programme of white land seizures.
During Wednesday's meeting, al-Jazeera's director of news, Steve Clarke, "outlined the news agency's mission and proposals in Zimbabwe, saying it is important that events taking place in Zimbabwe be reported factually at international level", the radio said.
Andrew Symonds, the organisation's African bureau chief, was reported as saying he "feels that Africa, including Zimbabwe, is not receiving adequate and objective coverage despite its significance on the international arena", the radio added.
Al-Jazeera International already has bureaux in several African countries including South Africa, Egypt, Eritrea, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.
- SAPA