Press Freedom and Globalisation - International Press Institute

Press Freedom and Globalisation
news values in developing countries to turn the press to benefit authorities. 110 Tanzania, as
other African states, established a state owned news agency, SHIHATA, to control
information flow out of the country, ensure Tanzania’s international image and support
other political objectives. SHIHATA and similar agencies achieved low credibility and
became unprofitable business. Independent media did not want to pay for a service they
considered to be propaganda. 111
When press freedom interacts with other purposes, the performance is a balancing
art. A Kenyan notion of this is summed up by Mitch Odero, Chairman of the Media
Council of Kenya: “Journalism is a national duty. But it is not so much a national duty as
America’s, the homeland of freedoms, journalists do in the coverage of Iraq.” 112 In this
statement, he recognised a journalist’s national duty as well as limitations of such a duty.
Mass Media in the Societies
Radio is definitely the most wide-spread mass medium in East Africa. 113 It is because radio
is cheap compared to newspapers and TV, and because transport and illiteracy are no
hindrance for radio. The UNESCO measure of minimal spread of radio is 20 receivers per
1000 inhabitants. Together with radio, TV is ranked as the second most used comm-
unication channel in Africa. 114
Number of radio- and TV-receivers pr. 1000 inhabitants (1996) 115
Country TV Radio
Kenya 26 108
Tanzania 3.3 280
Uganda 16 130
110 Ali, Owais Aslam, “Claiming that Differences in ‘Values’ Justify News Directions” in The World Press
Freedom Committee, New Code Words For Censorship : Modern Labels for Curbs on the Press (Reston,
USA: The World Press Freedom Committee, 2002), pp. 71-73.
111 Kivikuru, “From State Socialism to Deregulation”, pp. 137-140.
112 Odero, Mitch, in his closing address at The Media Council of Kenya’s public conferense on “Is There a
Place for Unethical Journalism in Kenya?” at The Stanley Hotel, Nairobi, 1 st March, 2005.
113 Carver, Coliver, Lauriciano, Lush and Maja-Pearce, Who Rules the Airwaves, p. 1.
114 Ochilo, “Africa : Perspectives for Editorial Independence”, pp. 43-44.
115 United Nations, Statistical Yearbook : Forty-fourth issue : 1997, table 18, pp. 130-137.
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