Geoff Nyarota launches new internet news site

24 October 2006

In a country where investigative journalism is all but extinct, a team of veteran Zimbabwean and international journalists have created an independent online news publication. The Zimbabwe Times.com launched on October 19.

Veteran Zimbabwean journalist Geoffrey Nyarota initiated the site from the United States, with support from media professionals in Zimbabwe, South Africa, the United Kingdom. According to organizers, the site will provide in-depth investigations and analysis of events that are practically untouched by other news outlets in the country.

Organizers say that a team of competent and well-respected journalists and writers will contribute to the news site, which will place an importance on quality, fairness, independence, national interest and relevance.

A report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which was launched one year, to the day before The Zimbabwe Times.com was launched, found that hundreds of Zimbabwean journalists live in exile in South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where they work to continue investigative reporting. Exiled journalists often struggle to get accurate, investigative information due to resources, distance and government control inside the country, the report found.