Zimbabwe: Foreign media groups must pay $10,000 for application, $20,000 for accreditation, $4000 annual fee and $2000 for license fee = $36 000

NVDL: What a circus.

clipped from edition.cnn.com HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- The Zimbabwean government has announced restrictive licensing fees for foreign journalists working in the country, demanding they pay an annual fee of $4,000 to practice journalism. In addition foreign media groups must pay $10,000 for the application and $20,000 for accreditation, payable only in foreign currency, the government-controlled Media and Information Commission said Wednesday. An administration fee of $2,000 is necessary for the permit. Last month a spokesman for President Robert Mugabe threatened to ban foreign news bureaus in Zimbabwe, saying they quoted his boss out of context when reporting on the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean government spokesman George Charamba said the fee was being introduced because foreign media organizations were "reducing local reporters to mere runners."