Media inadequately covered the Masvingo mayoral elections. The Zimbabwe Independent and The Zimbabwe Mirror (11/5) had no story on the event while The Daily News and The Financial Gazette failed to inform its readers about important electoral issues. However, the Daily News provided the most comprehensive and impartial coverage of the pre-election violence. The state media put on a partisan performance, preferring to urge the public to vote Zanu PF. This message was supported by the prominent coverage given to alleged defections from the MDC to Zanu PF.

Representatives of several powerful international media associations were told by top government officials on Thursday that Zimbabwe's independent media must expect violence for "provoking" supporters of President Robert Mugabe's regime, SAPA-DPA reported. The five-member delegation of the Co-ordinating Committee of Press Freedom Organisations were quoted as saying that senior officials in Mugabe's information ministry warned it was "understandable" that journalists who were seen as supporting an anti-ruling party agenda would be threatened with violence.