[Marxism] New Zimbabwe radio station to counter Western media 'bias'

[Walter Lippmann <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Readers on the Internet, where this is being debated widely
in some circles, know that there's no "bias" in Western media, 
which we can have confidence regularly provides both fair and 
balanced reports on Third World countries whose governments 
Washington and London don't like, right? OK, I admit I'm being 
sarcastic, but do give it a  thought, and here are a few other 
items for people thinking about these matters to consider:

Would Patrick Bond, who's been supporting those so-called
"smart sanctions", and the others here, be backing efforts 
to prevent Zimbabwe from defending itself in this manner?

While I'm not very well-informed about Zimbabwe, I've been 
told that the opposition controls the city governments both 
in Harare and in Bulawayo, the principal cities of Zimbabwe.
The media there is also hostile to Mugabe, yet he manages to 
win elections in which the oppositon continues to participate. 
Is that factually accurate? It sounds like there's more to 
Zimbabwe than we've been getting in the media. This morning 
the SA Mail & Guardian reports that both Mugabe and the MDC 
have agreed to have Thabo Mbeki mediate their differences.

This is the same Thabo Mbeki whose been subjected to so much 
criticism on these lists. Yet the MDC has agreed to have him 
mediate. What does that tell us about the MDC and about Mugabe?
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/&articleId=304168

This article sounds like Zimbabwe is defending itself from the
same kind of hostile foreign political interference which Cuba
faces. Fortunately for Zimbabwe, the world has changed and the
U.S. and London aren't able to isolate it as it once was.


Walter Lippmann
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/

=========================================================

New Zimbabwe radio station to counter Western media 'bias'
Fri Apr 6, 2:45 PM ET
AFP


Zimbabwe is to set up a new radio station to counter what it
perceives as Western propaganda against veteran President Robert
Mugabe's regime, state media said on Friday.

"We are under siege and being bombarded by the Western media
broadcasting to our people," Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu
was quoted as saying by ZIANA news agency.

The short wave station, the fifth to be run by the state, will go on
air before April 18 when the country commemorates its 27th
independence anniversary, according to the agency and the daily
Herald.

"There will be a revolutionary development in the media. We should be
able to tell our own story," said Ndlovu after meeting Iranian
diplomats based in Harare.

The new station will cost the cast-strapped country 8.9 billion
Zimbabwe dollars (39.6 million US dollars at the official exchange
rate).

Ndlovu made the announcement after discussing with the Iranian
ambassador to Harare, Rasoul Momeni, a deal to refurbish the public
broadcaster's studios based in the second largest city of Bulawayo.

Iran has already funded the upgrading of the studios in the capital.

In the face of growing criticism of his rights record by Western
powers, President Robert Mugabe has in recent years turned to Tehran
and other Eastern countries for friends.

Copyright  2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.




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