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“I have invited you here because Cabinet is unhappy because of bad news coverage. Your coverage is not promoting good journalism,” he said.
Journalists, he said, should be proud of being Zimbabwean.
“We are supposed to promote nation building but we seem to be fighting that. Yesterday (Tuesday) Cabinet expressed great concern with the way we have published some of our stories,” he said.
The Minister said the meeting was not meant to gag the media.
“That is not my goal,” he said.
He said some media houses had become foot soldiers of the sanctions lobby on Zimbabwe judging by the negative stories that tend to scare away international investors.
“The President expressed concern on the reportage which sometimes intrudes on the private lives of our leaders. It is unAfrican to show such levels of disrespect to our leaders,” he said.
Minister Shamu brought to the meeting the chairman of Augur Investments Mr Ken Sharpe whose company is spearheading the construction of Zimbabwe’s biggest
multi-purpose shopping mall in Borrowdale.
Mr Sharpe was not happy with the reportage the development received from the Daily News.
Recent press reports from the paper suggested the project was controversial and would not get council approval.
Mr Sharpe appealed for a media appreciation on the efforts to lure foreign investors most of whom have negative perceptions of Zimbabwe.
“We feel wronged. It is with a heavy heart that I come here.
“We in Zimbabwe cannot promote ourselves and encourage investors to come.
“There has been a propensity to have negative press reports,” he said.
Mr Sharpe said that each time he brought investors they always find a different Zimbabwe from the one they see and read in the newspapers and global television.
He said the deal that resulted in his company getting the land to build the mall was subjected to intense investigations by the anti-corruption commission and transparency international — organisations that certified the deal was transparent.
However, Daily News Editor Stanley Gama said his paper stood by its story.
He was not happy that Mr Sharpe chose to meet Minister Shamu instead of him to lodge the complaint.
Minister Shamu said negative stories were undermining national efforts to lure investors.
“We are now tired of reading distorted stories,” he said.
He said editors and journalists should not only select stories that favour one side. He said that at times the media was acting judge.
“Is there not anything good coming from Zanu-PF and MDC,” he asked.
Minister Shamu challenged the editors to name a single African country that enjoys relative peace than Zimbabwe.
He apologised to Mr Sharpe on behalf of the Daily News saying as the responsible Minister he was equally responsible over what goes on in the industry.
Online Reporter