Reporting in Danger Panel: Zimbabwe

A foreign correspondent talks about her battles to protect her sources in Zimbabwe. Many of those who are willing to tell their stories have lost everything else and survived "hideous" torture. They have nothing left to lose and all they have left is their "voices." They don't often understand what it means to put their voice or photograph out on TV or radio, and she uses her journalism judgment.

Zimbabwe's been in the midst of "silent genocide" for years now, she said. "We cover Zimbabwe when the violence peaks."

There's a real hunger for news in the country. Everyone has a cell phone and that's how the population gets its news. The government has started to squelch cell phone use by restricting text messaging, she said.

"I spend more time watching my rear view mirror than the road in front of me," she said about when the violence spikes and the government starts following her, sitting next to her in a coffee shop.

People tortured in the country are beaten on their feet so badly that they will never walk properly again. Others are beaten on their buttocks to the pelvic bone so they will never sit properly again. The message is clear because they return to their communities and everyone sees.