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Senior Court Reporter
Veteran journalist Geoffrey Nyarota has filed a US$1 million defamation lawsuit against Alpha Media Holdings over a letter to the editor published in the company’s daily newspaper NewsDay in December last year.
The letter, titled “Is NewsDay MDC-T mouthpiece?” stated that Nyarota was “the Gukurahundi brand manager”, words the veteran journalist felt were highly defamatory.
Part of the published article read: “Like Geoff Nyarota, you have ascribed yourselves the role of being brand managers for the MDC-T, as much as he was the Gukurahundi brand manager.”
Nyarota said the statement was malicious and defamatory.
In summons issued at the High Court on November 20 by Nyarota’s lawyers Hove and Associates, NewsDay former editor Constantine Chimakure, AMH, Munn Marketing and Strand Multiprint were cited as respondents.
Nyarota argued that his professional reputation was seriously injured and his character was damaged by the published arti cle.
“By publishing the letter in question, NewsDay damaged the reputation, image and the illustrious name of the plaintiff,” read the summons.
“The article also exposed him to public condemnation, contempt, ridicule and hatred as well as the potential risk of retribution on an issue that is emotional, sensitive and ethically divisive.”
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