In a welcome move, on February 16 the government gazetted regulations to govern access to the broadcast media by political parties for campaigning purposes.139 The state-run Herald newspaper reported that under the regulations, all political parties and candidates contesting the elections would be entitled to airtime on all ZBH radio and television stations.140 Human Rights Watch received reports that after these regulations were put into place, the level of access to the media for the opposition increased on state radio and television.141 In a letter written to the MDC, ZBH informed the MDC that they would be given ninety-one minutes of advertising time on radio and ninety-one minutes of advertising time on television although the MDC would have to pay for these adverts. While this move was welcomed by the MDC, they reported that they were still unable to get equal access during news coverage. For example, when ZANU PF launched its campaign it was given four hours of airtime. In contrast the MDC’s election launch got a four minute mention.142 Biased coverage in the state-run print media The new regulations governing access to the broadcast media are a positive step towards equal access to the media for all parties. However, these regulations do not take into account the state-owned print media. Under the SADC Principles and Guidelines, equal access to the media means that all public media including the print media should give equal access to all political parties. Unequal access and biased coverage of the elections is a serious concern in the public print media. State-run newspapers such as the Herald and The Chronicle continue their biased coverage of the elections. The Daily News, which previously provided an alternative voice, remains closed, despite a decision by the Supreme Court on March 14, 2005, allowing the paper to re-apply for a license to publish.143 Of the remaining independent newspapers, only the Independent and the Standard (both weekly newspapers) provide a truly alternative and unbiased voice to the Herald newspaper. 139 “All parties granted TV, radio access,” The Herald, February 17, 2005. 140 Ibid. 141 Human Rights Watch telephone interview researcher MMPZ, London, March 1, 2005. 142 Human Rights Watch telephone interview with Dumisani Ghandi, MMPZ, and MDC Director of Information, London, March 1, 2005. 143 Despite the ruling, the Supreme Court refused to declare key sections of AIPPA unconstitutional as requested by the paper’s lawyers. See also “Zim Court scraps ban on paper,” News 24 online, March 14, 2005, “Zimbabwe paper refused permission to publish,” VOA news, March 14, 2005. 30