Zimbabwe has lost Geoff Nyarota, the man who started the country's first independent daily newspaper. He died at age 74 after fighting cancer, according to his son Julian, who spoke with AFP on Sunday. Nyarota created The Daily News back in 1999, bringing fresh voices to a media landscape tightly ruled by the government.
For many years, The Daily News stood alone as the only daily paper not controlled by the state. It bravely criticized President Robert Mugabe throughout his 30-plus years of leadership. Nyarota paid a heavy price for this courage - police arrested him repeatedly, claiming his newspaper secretly worked for Western countries.
The newspaper faced violent attacks beyond legal troubles. Someone bombed both the newspaper offices and printing equipment in 2000 and 2001. Trevor Ncube, who runs several media companies, praised Nyarota on social media platform X as a groundbreaking investigative reporter whose absence will deeply affect many people.
Even government officials acknowledged his impact. Nick Mangwana, speaking for the government, called Nyarota a huge force in media who permanently changed journalism across Zimbabwe. The country currently ranks 116th among 180 nations measured by the 2024 World Press Freedom Index from RSF.
Press freedom has improved somewhat since Mugabe lost power in 2017. However, reporters still face harsh treatment under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, according to the watchdog group Reporters Without Borders. Just last Friday, Zimbabwe courts refused to release a journalist who had been behind bars for almost a month after interviewing someone who suggested Mnangagwa should resign.
For many years, The Daily News stood alone as the only daily paper not controlled by the state. It bravely criticized President Robert Mugabe throughout his 30-plus years of leadership. Nyarota paid a heavy price for this courage - police arrested him repeatedly, claiming his newspaper secretly worked for Western countries.
The newspaper faced violent attacks beyond legal troubles. Someone bombed both the newspaper offices and printing equipment in 2000 and 2001. Trevor Ncube, who runs several media companies, praised Nyarota on social media platform X as a groundbreaking investigative reporter whose absence will deeply affect many people.
Even government officials acknowledged his impact. Nick Mangwana, speaking for the government, called Nyarota a huge force in media who permanently changed journalism across Zimbabwe. The country currently ranks 116th among 180 nations measured by the 2024 World Press Freedom Index from RSF.
Press freedom has improved somewhat since Mugabe lost power in 2017. However, reporters still face harsh treatment under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, according to the watchdog group Reporters Without Borders. Just last Friday, Zimbabwe courts refused to release a journalist who had been behind bars for almost a month after interviewing someone who suggested Mnangagwa should resign.
