MEDIA FREEDOM IN TANZANIA

It is difficult to define what independence of the press is. Universally, it means media being allowed to report truthfully on societal issues - good or bad, that are of public interest.

Tanzania got the first private TV station in mainland, in 1995 under I.P.P media. By then the Zanzibar Isles already had has one national owned TV station. Today Tanzania enjoys more than 400 newspapers mostly in the national language Kiswahili. Most of these newspapers based in Dar es Salaam. There are more than 10 TV stations, dozen of radio stations in a span of less than two decades.

The article 18 of the constitution of Tanzania, 1977 (amended 2005) speaks of the freedom of expression and opinion without any interference from outside forces but some how that seems to have never been the case in Tanzania because the laws imposed on the media are strict and makes it practically impossible for journalist to do their jobs.

The media has had to face various challenges when it come to the kind of information that they could publish or broadcast to members of public. Draconian laws have even been imposed to regulate what they so called press freedom in the country. In 1976 the news paper act was enacted to restrict journalist on the types of stories that were published in news papers.

Article 36(1) and 37(1)(b) specifically state that if any journalist publishes hate information towards the government then he or she is liable to a fine of Tsh 150,000. On November 7, 2013 Attorney General Fredrick Warema defended the governments decision on to amend section 36(1) and 37(1)(b) of the news papers act 1976 where by the decision was to increase the penalty fee from 150,000 to 5 million but the members of parliament rejected the government proposal.

Almost all the media houses have one thing in common all they care about are the advertisers above all. They are the ones that keep the papers afloat. Tycoons with political affiliations or business interests are the ones who owned most of the papers and TV/Radio stations in Tanzania.Correspondents go for up to six months without pay. And it is not the situation with just one house, but many. Journalists and correspondents go out to hunt for stories where the sources are willing to pay Example NGOs press conferences takes place around the country, envelopes stuffed with cash are dished out.

Survival means foregoing your integrity or else if you love the job too much there must be another job going hand in hand with journalism.There is no union to protect journalists. On the part of government to control the media, the private electronic media is allowed to air their programmes in only 25 per cent of the country. At the same time the language must be either English or Swahili, which are foreign and not understood by many people in the remote areas.

Media house in Tanzania are not free to write whatever they think is correct. when they try to do so they face punishment like being banned for a while just like what happened to Mwananchi and Mtanzania respectively in 2013.