An umbrella group for journalists on Thursday accused international cricket chiefs of ignoring what it called a pattern of violence against media and attempts by President Robert Mugabe’s regime to gag sports reporters who cover the World Cup cricket competition.
”Zimbabwe is anything but a safe venue for journalists,” Aidan White, general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, said in a letter to Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the International Cricket Council.
The England players want their February 13 game in Harare moved to South Africa, fearing that violence will break out if opponents of Mugabe’s regime disrupt the game. The International Cricket Council says that Zimbabwe is safe enough to handle six World Cup games and has decided not to reschedule any.
The Brussels-based IFJ, whose member unions represent more than 500 000 journalists around the world, accused world cricket’s governing body of showing ”no consideration for the difficulties facing journalists” in Zimbabwe, including allegations of violence, legal assaults and intimidation.
The IFJ also has protested alleged government attempts to force reporters coming to Zimbabwe to cover the cricket matches to sign gag orders that will stop them reporting on anything else.
The IFJ has also written to Rupert Murdoch, head of News Corporation, which holds television rights for coverage of the World Cup, asking him to lift penalty clauses which could force the cricket authorities to pay $2-million a game for losses of broadcast revenue.
”These penalties should be waived so that a judgement about participation and reporting of these matches can be taken according to the imperatives of safety without fears of financial damage,” White said in a separate letter to Murdoch. – Sapa-AP
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