EDITOR – I AM an avid reader of The Patriot newspaper, and I live in the UK with my family.
A few days ago the media in Zimbabwe reported an incident involving a snake seen ‘withdrawing’ money from a cash machine in Angwa Street, before slithering its way into a purported waiting car.
Some newspapers ran headlines: ‘Shock as snake ‘withdraws’ money from ATM in Harare!’
By the end of the day many online Zimbabwean newspapers had copied and pasted the unverified story on their internet news websites.
Shamelessly some online publications such as the iHarare, supported their story by publishing the attached photograph of the said snake at the cash machine in ‘Angwa Street’.
Editor, what bothers me is why some of these newspapers and their reporters do not care to check their facts before publishing such stories, which can cause panic to members of the public as well as painting a negative picture of Zimbabwe in the region and the world at large?
I am saying this because the image of the snake they have used as evidence was already published in the UK on August 8 2014.
It is the image of a Canadian pet snake found at a cash machine in a village called Gillingham, in Dorset (UK).
The Metro Newspaper (UK) published a story with the headline ‘Massive Californian snake found slithering over a cash machine in Dorset’.
“People trying to use this ATM in Gillingham, Dorset, must have thought things were being taken to another level, however, when they found a huge snake slithering across the cash machine,” said the Metro.
“Juliet Medland, who photographed the bizarre scene outside the One Stop shop, said the staff in the shop were aware of the snake, but none of them wanted to touch it.”
The Metro further reported that the snake was taken by the RSPCA staff here in the UK for safe keeping.
How could the same snake miraculously avail itself in Zimbabwe?
Editor, I am angered by this irresponsible journalism.
Zimbabweans must adhere to the ethics of journalism as they have a duty to inform the public about the truth, and only the truth, not fictitious headlines to sell their papers.

Yours sincerely
In Birmingham, UK