X. Media and Elections Media operated in a generally free environment, but overwhelming bias in state media meant legal provisions for fair and balanced reporting were not respected A Media Environment The media landscape in Zimbabwe is highly polarized and largely dominated by state-owned or government-controlled media, especially in the rural areas. The government controls, in a direct or indirect way, all electronic media available in the country and real private media is only present in the print. After years of repression, Zimbabwean journalists currently operate in a much freer environment. Since the beginning of the “new dispensation” period in November 2017 the number of reported detentions and attacks against journalists has decreased significantly. However, the current legal framework still leaves room for restriction of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression or freedom of the media. The Reporters Without Borders 2017 World Press Freedom report ranks Zimbabwe 128 of 180 countries (four positions lower than in 2016). State-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has an official monopoly of free-to-air terrestrial TV broadcasting, with the state-owned ZTV being the only TV station operating in the country. ZBC operates also four radio stations which broadcast nationwide, 24 hours per day: Classic 263; Radio Zimbabwe; Power FM and National FM. Radio is the main source of information for Zimbabweans, especially for those living in the rural areas. In 2012, the government licensed, for the first time in Zimbabwe’s history, two national commercial radio stations: Star FM and ZiFM. This action, nevertheless, far from representing an opening of the market to private broadcasters, reinforced the control of the state in the electronic media sector since both radio stations are directly linked to the government69. Similarly, in March 2015, the Minister of State for Information and Publicity licensed eight provincial urban-based commercial radio stations. In July 2018, a new provincial commercial radio station was licensed to operate in Gweru. However, all these radio stations are also owned by enterprises controlled by the State or politically linked to the government. In addition, 17 years after the enactment of the Broadcasting Services Act (2001), which provides for community radio stations, the government is still to license a single community radio station. Recommendation 13: Liberalise the electronic media sector, including issuing licenses for community radio stations. Newspapers are the only media sector in Zimbabwe where fully private enterprises are present. There are five daily newspapers in the country, widely read in the main urban areas, particularly Harare and Bulawayo. The government-controlled Zimpapers (Zimbabwe Newspapers Limited) is the largest newspaper publisher in Zimbabwe. Its titles include The Herald (top selling daily newspaper in Zimbabwe -45,000 copies and 31 per cent of market share) and its Bulawayo-based sister paper, The Chronicle. Zimpapers also publishes two tabloid dailies (H-Metro –Harare and B-Metro –Bulawayo) along with a number of weeklies (The Sunday Mail is the most prominent). 69 Star FM is owned by state-run Zimpapers whilst ZiFM is owned by Supa Mandiwanzira, Minister of Information, Communication and Technologies. 25