The trial of an American journalist working for a British newspaper in Zimbabwe has been adjourned until Thursday.

Andrew Meldrum, correspondent for the Guardian newspaper, appeared in court and was charged with publishing falsehoods - if found guilty he could face up to two years in jail.

I have committed no crime and the attention will be on this law, which makes it a crime to commit factual errors

Andrew Meldrum

The case is a pivotal one for journalists in Zimbabwe - he is the first reporter to be tried under Zimbabwe's draconian media law which has been internationally condemned.

Since the disputed presidential elections in March which saw President Robert Mugabe win, 10 other journalists have been charged, eight of whom are awaiting trial under the new law, according to the French news agency, AFP.

The United States Government and human rights groups have condemned the trial.

Murder accusation

Mr Meldrum is accused of publishing a false story and abusing journalistic privilege after he reported on a piece originally published by Zimbabwe's main independent newspaper, The Daily News.

"Andrew pleaded not guilty. We are going to contend that the accused did not publish any false information deliberately," Mr Meldrum's lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa told Reuters news agency.

Speaking afterwards Mr Meldrum said that his trial was "not only about me but it is about this media law and also a trial about Zimbabwe's judiciary system".

"I have committed no crime and the attention will be on this law which makes it a crime to commit factual errors," he said.

Two Zimbabwean journalists were charged over the same story

The story alleged that paramilitary supporters of Mr Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF Party had murdered and beheaded a woman in a rural area for supporting the opposition.

The paper later withdrew the story as being unsubstantiated and issued an apology.

Two Zimbabwean journalists from The Daily News were arrested after the article was published.

Legal challenge

The sister of the woman is a witness for the prosecution and she told the court that her sister had in fact died 10 days before the allegations of her murder were published.

Mr Meldrum's lawyers denied that he had not sought to verify the story, saying the Zimbabwean police had refused to make any comments on inquiries about the case.

Mugabe signed the new media law in March

Ms Mtetwa said that the law was "fascist in law and spirit" and prevented journalists in Zimbabwe from revealing the truth.

"We are going to appeal to the courts that you cannot have a law that does not recognise that people make mistakes... a law which is selectively applied against one group of journalists," she told Reuters news agency.

The controversial media bill under which the journalists are being charged is being challenged in the Zimbabwean Supreme Court by foreign journalists based in the country, as well as other independent bodies.

Mr Mugabe claims that journalists in the country are pursuing a hate campaign against his party and leadership, hence the clampdown.