MOROGORO, Tanzania
Prime Minister of Tanzania, Kassim Majaliwa, yesterday May 20 opened the door to reviewing legislation on the media profession with the full participation of media professionals and stakeholders when opening the 10th editors’ conference and professional workshop organized by the Tanzania Editors Forum.
He
gave this assurance and call on media practitioners to ensure that they adhere
to professional ethics, and work hard to provide quality information to the
public.
The
Premier said that adhering to ethics when carrying out their journalistic duties
was the key to strengthening freedom in media organizations.
Majaliwa
assured journalists and media houses of the government’s entire support
including the need to address statutory challenges hampering media industry
operations.
“We
will work hard to ensure that you continue working safely. The government will
not spare anyone who will be seen trying to curb your rights.
“What
I emphasize here is that media practitioners adhere to the country’s laws and
stop misusing their pens,” he explained. The government will also continue
working closely with media houses, engaging them in the implementation of several
major projects, he stated.
“During
the preparation of the implementation of the development plan, media
practitioners will also be engaged so as to have broader understanding and thus
be able to educate the public,” he elaborated.
The
Premier also directed the minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports,
Innocent Bashungwa to fast-track the establishment of the Media Accreditation
Board that will work to regulate journalism professional ethics and thus
facilitate the formation of an Independent Media Council.
The government of United Republic of Tanzania enacted four Acts concerning with the control of freedom and regulation of media in the country. These acts are The Cybercrimes Act, 2015, The Statistics Act, 2013, The Media Services Act, 2016, and The Access to Information Act, 2016.
The country’s political analysts, activists, professionals and normal people criticized that the Acts will pessimistically affect the freedom of media and eventually the freedom of speech of citizens.
The Acts give the Minister responsible
for information the power to ban any media which may seems to report, publish,
print or broadcast information contrary to the code of conducts or threaten
peace in the state.
The Media
Council of Tanzania, Legal and Human Rights Centre and Tanzania Human Rights
Defenders Coalition filed a petition early in January 2017 challenging restrictive
sections of the country’s Media Services Act, 2016.
In their
ruling, the East African Court of Justice on March 28, 2019, ruled that the
Media Services Act, 2016 is in contradiction to section 6(d), 7(2) and 8
(1) (c) of the East African Treaty.
According
to the ruling, sections 7 (3) (a) (b) (c) (f) (g) (h) (i) and (j), 13, 19, 20,
21, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 50, 54, 52, 53, 58, and 59 of the Media Services
Act, 2016 violate section 6(d), 7(2) and 8 (1) (c) of the East African Treaty
and the government of the United Republic of Tanzania was directed to take
necessary measure to bring the Act into compliance. - Africa
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