ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT (SHOWING AMENDMENTS MADE BY ACT 5/2003) (3) Any person who wishes to be accredited as a journalist shall make an application to the Commission in the form and manner and accompanied by the fee, if any, prescribed: Provided that a mass media service or news agency may file an application for accreditation on behalf of journalists employed by such mass media service or news agency. (4) A journalist who is not a citizen of Zimbabwe, or is not regarded as permanently resident in Zimbabwe by virtue of the Immigration Act [Chapter 4:02], may be accredited for any period specified by the Commission not exceeding thirty days: Provided that the Commission may, for good cause shown or for the purpose of enabling the journalist to work for the duration of any event he or she is accredited to cover, extend the period by a specified number of days. 54 (5) The Commission may accredit an applicant as a journalist and issue a press card to the applicant if it is satisfied that the applicant— (a) has complied with the prescribed formalities; and (b) possesses the prescribed qualifications; and (c) is not disqualified by virtue of subsection (2), or applies for accreditation in terms of subsection (4). (6) Every news agency that operates in Zimbabwe, whether domiciled inside or outside Zimbabwe, shall in respect of its local operations not employ or use the services of any journalist other than an accredited journalist who is a citizen of Zimbabwe, or is regarded as permanently resident in Zimbabwe by virtue of the Immigration Act [Chapter 4:02]: Provided that the news agency may employ or use the services of a journalist referred to in subsection (4) for the duration of that journalist’s accreditation. 80 Abuse of journalistic privilege55 A journalist who abuses his or her journalistic privilege by publishing— (a) information which he or she intentionally or recklessly falsified in a manner which— (i) threatens the interests of defence, public safety, public order, the economic interests of the State, public morality or public health; or (ii) is injurious to the reputation, rights and freedoms of other persons; or (b) information which he or she maliciously or fraudulently fabricated; or (c) any statement— (i) threatening the interests of defence, public safety, public order, the economic interests of the State, public morality or public health; or (ii) injurious to the reputation, rights and freedoms of other persons; in the following circumstances— A. knowing the statement to be false or without having reasonable grounds for believing it to the true; and 54 Subsection substituted by s. 17 of Act 5/2003. 55 Section substituted by s. 18 of Act 5/2003. 37