MEDIA REPORT- EDITOR SUES INFORMATION MINISTER;

UNCLAS HARARE 001729

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, AF/RA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO ZI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT- EDITOR SUES INFORMATION MINISTER;
HARARE



1. Geoff Nyarota, Editor-in-Chief of the independent
daily "The Daily News," has filed a Z$6 million lawsuit
against Information and Publicity Minister Professor
Jonathan Moyo for defamation. Nyarota has also slapped the
editor of the government-controlled daily "The Herald,"
Pikirayi Deketeke, with a similar lawsuit for publishing a
defamatory article. Nyarota argues that the article in
question, which appeared in the June 7, 2002 edition of The
Herald under headline "Moyo files lawsuit against Sikhala,
Daily News," is insulting.


2. The matter arose after The Daily News first published
a story detailing court testimony in which opposition
Member of Parliament Job Sikhala alleged that Minister Moyo
had a homosexual relationship with former Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation Chief Executive Officer, Alum
Mpofu. Minister Moyo rebutted the controversial Daily News
story in The Herald on June 7. Moyo is quoted in the
Herald story saying: "Nyarota is a disgraceful pervert
whose indecency and vulgarity has gone too far, all in a
morally corrupt crusade to win dubious international media
awards." In his papers filed with the High court, Nyarota
said that the article suggested that he is an
"unprincipled, unscrupulous, and unprofessional man who
would do anything to win an award."

SULLIVAN