Nieman Foundation Curator Bill Kovach said he has no doubts about the integrity of Chavunduka's newspaper or the reliability of its reporting.
"I don't accept that there was anything inaccurate about the article," Kovach said.
The Standard "has a history of independent reporting" which is what angers the government, he added.
The Zimbabwean embassy official said the government does contest the newspaper's facts "to a degree."
But "what they were [really] not pleased with is the manner in which [the newspaper] handled the issue," he said.
The government official said he does not expect the journalists to receive a severe sentence.
"They might be reprimanded as a reminder that at least in the future people should try and check on every fact," he said.
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