The Herald (Zimbabwe)

"The Herald" is a government owned daily newspaper published in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.

History

Origins

The newspaper's origins date back to the 19th century. Its forerunner was launched on June 27 1891 by W E Fairbridge [Arthur Keppel-Jones. See http://books.google.com/books?id=UxHpQWTCCA4C&pg=PA356&lpg=PA356&dq=%22we+fairbridge%22&source=web&ots=rBagSAm4dG&sig=WePNn0SNRhOkYoAABCR9y_tA4CY#PPP1,M1] for the Argus group of South Africa. Named the “Mashonaland Herald and Zambesian Times”, it was a weekly, hand-written news sheet produced using the cyclostyle duplicating process. In October the following year it became a printed newspaper and changed its name to "The Rhodesia Herald”. [Zambezia journal, January 1970. See http://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/African%20Journals/pdfs/Journal%20of%20the%20University%20of%20Zimbabwe/vol1n2/juz001002001.pdf]

The Argus group later set up a subsidiary called the Rhodesian Printing and Publishing Company [ Geoffrey Nyarota. See http://books.google.com/books?id=B2Jp-k0WVWAC&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=rhodesian+printing+and+publishing+company&source=web&ots=NGfUu_79pi&sig=P2h3L_fsluCGhe9EtHQ4DurJPzk] to run its newspapers in what was then Southern Rhodesia.

After the white minority Rhodesian Front government unilaterally declared independence on 11 November 1965, it started censoring The Rhodesia Herald. The newspaper responded by leaving blank spaces where articles had been removed, enabling readers to gauge the extent of the censorship.

Post Independence

In 1981, after Zimbabwe became independent, the government bought The Herald and other papers from the Argus group, using a US$20 million grant from Nigeria [ [http://www.wacc.org.uk/wacc/publications/media_development/archive/2001_2/the_zimbabwe_mass_media_trust_an_experiment_that_failed The Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust: An experiment that failed - World Association for Christian Communication ] ] , and established the Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust [Ellias T. Rusike. See http://journ.ru.ac.za/rjr/Rusike_homepage.html] to operate them. The Trust created Zimbabwe Newspapers, Ltd., as the publisher of the papers.

ister Papers

Other Paper published by the same group include The Sunday Mail in Harare, The Chronicle and The Sunday News in Bulawayo and the Manica Post in Mutare. [Zimbabwe Newspapers website. http://www.zimpapers.co.zw/] The Chronicle, launched in October 1894 as The Bulawayo Chronicle, is the second oldest newspaper in the country. [ [http://www.pressreference.com/Uz-Z/Zimbabwe.html Zimbabwe Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers ] ]

Controversy

"The Herald" has for some time been noted for its completely one sided reporting for the government of President Robert Mugabe and the Zanu-PF party, and its demonization of the opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The MDC are often accused of being agents of colonial powers. [For example: [http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=778&cat=1 "Tsvangirai confirms US, UK’s regime change agenda"] , "The Herald", June 28, 2008]

"The Herald" faces limited competition from within Zimbabwe, although there are still several independent newspapers based in Zimbabwe, such as "the Independent", due to very restrictive accreditation laws in Zimbabwe. [ [http://library.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/zimbabwe/zimnews.html Zimbabwean newspapers and news on the internet] ] [ [http://www.world-newspapers.com/zimbabwe.html Zimbabwe newspapers and news sites] "world-newspapers.com"] Many opposition media claim that the paper has evolved into an instrument of rather crude and aggressive propaganda. [ [http://www.zimdaily.com/news2/article.php?story=20080426152737668&mode=print Zimbabwe: Herald newspaper trimmed to size over propaganda botch-up] "ZimDaily"] (On the other hand, it often offers important insights into the workings of the Zanu-PF elite.)The editorial staff are open in their partisanship. [For example: [http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=775&cat=13 "Time for MDC-T to take stock"] , "The Herald", June 28, 2008] The paper makes no pretense of impartiality. The editors also support the restrictions on opposition newspapers. Their rationale for this is explained as follows by Caesar Zvayi, a regular contributor to the "Herald"::"A free Press is vital for a vibrant society. But you have to understand the context in which the Zimbabwean State is operating. It is under siege from some Western countries, some of which - like the US - openly admit to sponsoring the media and various opposition groups to discredit the Government. ... How independent will the Press be if they are funded by an outsider who openly declares his intention to unseat the incumbent Government?"Fact|date=June 2008

In mid-May 2008, its website was briefly shut down by cyber hackers.Fact|date=June 2008

Offices

The Herald's offices are in Herald House, overlooking Africa Unity Square in central Harare.

Current Editor

As of May 2008, the editor of The Herald was Pikirayi Deketeke. [Zimbabwe Newspapers website. http://www.zimpapers.co.zw/site.aspx?sectId=17&PageId=76]

ee also

*Zimbabwe Metro

References

External links

* [http://www.herald.co.zw/ The Herald] newspaper website.
* [http://www.talkzimbabwe.com/ The Zimbabwe Guardian] Zimbabwe newspaper online.