(MISA/IFEX) – Journalists covering parliamentary proceedings and debates have been asked to confine themselves to the press gallery and stop interviewing members of parliament (MPs) in the courtyard, reports the “Zimbabwe Independent” newspaper. Journalists have also been barred from entering the parliament bar and interacting with the MPs over a drink after the parliamentary sessions. […]
(MISA/IFEX) – Journalists covering parliamentary proceedings and debates have been asked to confine themselves to the press gallery and stop interviewing members of parliament (MPs) in the courtyard, reports the “Zimbabwe Independent” newspaper. Journalists have also been barred from
entering the parliament bar and interacting with the MPs over a drink after the parliamentary sessions.
The directive was made by the clerk of parliament, Austin Zvoma, who instructed parliamentary officers to enforce the directive. The order apparently came after MPs had complained to Zvoma that reporters were disturbing them during their tea breaks.
However, the chief whips of both the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) told the “Independent” newspaper that they had not made the complaints which had led to the directives.
ZANU-PF chief whip Joram Gumbo was quoted as saying: “It is news to me. I am surprised to
hear that reporters are being barred from speaking to us during our breaks. I thought that we could mingle with them in order to clear certain issues. Banning them in the courtyard and the bar will not help matters at all, as every MP wants to have a chance to speak to the reporters in order to clear the images they have about us.”
MDC chief whip Innocent Gonese said, “I am not aware of anyone of the MDC MPs asking for journalists to stop coming to the courtyard, as it is the only place where they can clear some outstanding issues with the MPs.”
