ZimOnline Website Review

ZimOnline - short for Zimbabwe Online- is an online media project that was started by fleeing Zimbabwean media professionals in 2004 in Johannesburg , South Africa. Currently the publication is available online electronically in the form of a website. Like a plethora of many other online news publications reporting on Zimbabwe, the project is "part of efforts to establish an alternative voice by Zimbabwean journalists who found themselves restricted in the practice of their profession over the past few years".

Apart from the deteriorating Zimbabwe economy that squeezed any commercial venture including newspapers employing these professionals, the project was mainly a response to Zanu PF's hangman approach to media freedoms in Zimbabwe. In fact its stuff were employees of the now defunct and government closed Daily News in 2003. The project has now been running consistently for over 6 solid years under the determination of its journalists who apparently are deployed in many parts of Zimbabwe mostly working undercover because of Zimbabwe's restrictive media operating environment.

In June of 2007 the independent media fraternity in Zimbabwe and abroad was left shell shocked after the editor of ZimOnline Abel Mutsakani [pictured above] was shot and seriously injured by an unknown assailants who hit were three in number. The Editor was attacked at about 9pm as he had driven into the yard. Due to the ruthless attack of journalists in Zimbabwe suspicions were raised immediately that this could have been a government sponsored attack. This is also because the assailants did not say a word nor take anything from the victim.

ZimOnline also syndicates its stories for publication by many mostly Africa electronic and print publications. In Zimbabwe private independent newspapers have often quoted ZimOnline stories in key articles exposing government corruption and human rights abuses. ZimOnline stories can be said to be balanced and pro-democracy and freedom of expression. An analysis of most online publications on Zimbabwe will reveal a concerted effort to expose the regime in Zimbabwe. By default perhaps any objective story will expose Zanu Pf misgoverning regardless of who prepares it.

ZimOnline is as popular as many other online publications on Zimbabwe. With an estimated over 1.2 million Zimbabweans living abroad there is a desperate demand for objective stories and opinions on Zimbabwe. Even though traffic statistics to the site have not been made public, the site enjoys a good Alexa ranking associated with daily traffic of tens of thousands. The Zimbabwe Online project website is registered in South Africa.

 Do you have  an experience to share on ZimOnline? Submit your experience below