The government warned representatives of foreign media organisations against "peddling false stories” on security issues, the state media reported Friday. The government also threatened to clamp down on unlicensed foreign reporters making clandestine visits and said erring reporters should beware of authorities and should “stay away from the security forces” or face action.State radio and television, Zimbabwe's sole broadcaster, and the daily Herald newspaper, a government mouthpiece, singled out the US network CNN for what it called biased reports on political unrest and the alleged assault and torture of opposition leaders, including Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the main Movement for Democratic Change. The government denied foreign news reports that it was forced to call in 2,500 paramilitary reinforcements from Angola to help control unrest because Zimbabwe's own forces were no longer loyal to President Robert Mugabe.
In a separate statement, the Information Ministry in Harare said CNN’s editorial policy “echoed the United States government’s policy of regime change in Zimbabwe.”