Independent wary of CIO media infiltrators

Independent wary of CIO media infiltrators

• Mandaza suspended from Mirror

• Journalists targeted in CIOGATE

• Mandaza fires Mirror board

• Mandaza admits to CIO ownership

• Hollow tales full of sound and fury

• Parliament probes Mediagate

• Media scandal deepens

• CIOGATE: Mandaza muzzled

• Panic as Zimbabwe rocked by media scandal

• Zim newspapers sell their souls for survival

• Scandal rocks Zim media industry

• Sex pest Kaseke forced to resign

• Mujuru rape scandal causes stir

• Mujuru sucked into rape scandal

By Lance Guma

THE Zimbabwe Independent editor Vincent Kahiya has said the weekly paper might have to review the way in which it recruits journalists following the media-gate scandal.

The paper published dramatic details of how the Central Intelligence Organization took over the Financial Gazette and the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror newspapers in a covert propaganda campaign.

Kahiya says there is a greater need to check the background of persons they employ if they are to avoid having CIO moles in the newsroom. The media-gate scandal has highlighted just how sophisticated the spying agency's network is especially when it comes to dealing with the media. Currently the paper says it cannot even rule out the possibility of having someone in their own newsroom forwarding valuable information to state security agencies.

He says the safety of their employees has always been on their minds even before this latest big story. They are always getting veiled threats from different quarters in the country and have taken precautionary measures to guard themselves in the likely event of something happening. However he would not disclose what these were but hinted it was the best they could do under the circumstances.

The safety of journalists at the Zimbabwe Independent has come under scrutiny following media reports that state security minister, Didymus Mutasa has authorized a plot to either harm or kill Dumisani Muleya for writing the story on the media scandal. It is also suggested the CIO have tasked a journalism trained female operative to flush out the source or sources of the Independent's story.

Last week the publisher and founder of the Mirror, Ibbo Mandaza was apparently ousted from the paper and will be formally stepping down in December after accepting a pay-off. The entire board of the paper is now dominated by former CIO officers leaving no doubt as to the collective intention behind their acquisition of shares - SW Radio Africa
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