Under reforms to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Act ZEC has a legal duty to ensure that all news media must equitably report all political parties and candidates in regard to the extent of their coverage and the timing and prominence of their news coverage. It is also supposed to ensure that their reports are factually accurate, complete and fair and that they avoid language encouraging hatred or any incitement to violence. Up to a few weeks before the elections, ZEC had conspicuously failed to take any action to prevent the public broadcaster and the government-controlled newspapers from behaving in a completely partisan fashion in their election coverage. Finally, with just three weeks to go before the elections, it passed regulations setting out the obligations of the public broadcaster to give impartial and balanced coverage of election campaigns. However, the overburdened ZEC has no capacity to carry out effective monitoring of the coverage of ZBH and to prevent it from continuing to broadcast blatantly pro-ruling party propaganda. But even it were able now to apply effective monitoring, much damage has already been done and the public broadcaster would have got away with its blatantly partisan coverage since the election date was announced. The sole provider of daily national newspapers is a company which is controlled by the ruling party and its publications' editorial coverage is completely biased in favour of the ruling party. The closure of the only other daily newspaper, the Daily News, has brought about a complete lack of diversity in the print media. The weekly financial newspapers are beyond the reach of most ordinary people, as is the only independent Sunday newspaper. The government-controlled newspapers have continued to engage in a constant stream of virulent propaganda strongly supporting the ruling party and disparaging opposition parties. The two government-controlled daillies (Harare and Bulawayo) have acted as the messengers of offensive and abusive attacks on opposition figures by ruling party officials. Some of these statements border on incitement to violence. In order for foreign journalists to come in to report on the elections they must obtain letters of invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before coming to the country. The attitude of the government to foreign journalists was demonstrated by a recent utterance by the Minister of Information who told a meeting of journalists in Bulawayo that those media organisations deemed "hostile" will not be allowed to cover the polls. In the past the BBC, in particular, has been excluded from Zimbabwe on the grounds that it "peddles falsehoods" about the situation in Zimbabwe. Foreign journalists will also have to pay exorbitant accreditation fees. 11. Election organisation and management The SADC election guidelines require that the body managing the elections must be independent and impartial and be composed in a manner that ensures this. 13