The Financial Gazette
Encyclopedia
The Financial Gazette is a weekly English language
newspaper
published in Zimbabwe
. The paper, established in 1969, focuses on business
, finance
, and politics
throughout Southern Africa
. Headquartered in Harare
, the paper also maintains a bureau in Bulawayo
. Its slogan is "Southern Africa's Leading Business and Financial Newspaper". Although purportedly owned independently by Zimbabwean investors, recent international press reports suggest that the paper is now controlled by the government of Zimbabwe.
The Financial Gazettes distribution numbered 40,000 copies weekly in 2000, but surveys have placed readership of the printed edition at ten times that number, or 400,000 weekly. The paper's website attracts over one million hits per month, leading the publisher to claim that The Financial Gazette is Zimbabwe's most widely read newspaper.
Operating under the repressive regime of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe
, questions have arisen regarding whether The Financial Gazette is truly independent and able to act as a free press. While once verifiably independent, persistent rumors have circulated that Mugabe's government now owns and controls the paper, having acted in 2002 to force a sale of the paper to a governmental intelligence agency. Government sources have refused to either confirm or deny the veracity of these rumours. However as of May 2006 the newspaper continues to publish articles highly critical of the government.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. The paper, established in 1969, focuses on business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, and politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
throughout Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
. Headquartered in Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, the paper also maintains a bureau in Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
. Its slogan is "Southern Africa's Leading Business and Financial Newspaper". Although purportedly owned independently by Zimbabwean investors, recent international press reports suggest that the paper is now controlled by the government of Zimbabwe.
The Financial Gazettes distribution numbered 40,000 copies weekly in 2000, but surveys have placed readership of the printed edition at ten times that number, or 400,000 weekly. The paper's website attracts over one million hits per month, leading the publisher to claim that The Financial Gazette is Zimbabwe's most widely read newspaper.
Operating under the repressive regime of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
, questions have arisen regarding whether The Financial Gazette is truly independent and able to act as a free press. While once verifiably independent, persistent rumors have circulated that Mugabe's government now owns and controls the paper, having acted in 2002 to force a sale of the paper to a governmental intelligence agency. Government sources have refused to either confirm or deny the veracity of these rumours. However as of May 2006 the newspaper continues to publish articles highly critical of the government.