In the government gazette notice, the secretary Misheck Sibanda said the law "which has been assented to by ... the president, is published." Under the new regulations journalists who work without a government licence now face a two-year jail sentence or a fine or both. A state-approved media commission has powers to accredit journalists.

Zimbabwean Information Minister Jonathan Moyo last year defended the amendments as intended to "protect the state from attacks by enemies of the country". The new provisions tighten a law originally passed in 2002, just days after Mugabe's victory in presidential polls.