Press Freedom and Globalisation - International Press Institute

Press Freedom and Globalisation
authority, but Europeans continued to own a lot of land and business. The socio-economic
hierarchy was not challenged much. The printed press became a part of this pattern and an
arena for the ruling elite’s issues, values, matters and interests. 13 At that time the press was
supposed to promote development and nation building, in reality a manipulation where the
press had to serve the elite and not democratisation. 14
Media laws from the colonial era survived independence in Kenya, 15 Uganda 16 and
Tanzania. 17 Colonial administration’s media laws to control and manipulate the colonies
became useful instruments of the new ruling elite. 18 For instance, laws on ‘false news
offence’ were introduced and are still valid in East Africa even though England abolished
them in 1887. 19
Independent East Africa has many examples of harassing of editors and journalists
with or without lawsuits as well as banning of publications. 20 Another way was to national-
ise media, such as the Tanzanian President Julius K. Nyerere did in accordance with his
policy of Africanisation. 21 In Kenya, the colonial administration had established TV as a
private company just before independence. President Jomo Kenyatta became suspicious of
13
Ibid., pp. 70-72; and Abuoga and Mutere, The History of the Press in Kenya, pp. 26-27, 77-81 and 98-100.
14
Hydén and Leslie, “Communications and Democratization in Africa”, pp. 1-5.
15
Makali (ed.), Media Law and Practice, pp. 58-60 and 67.
16
Kemigisha, Rose Mary (ed.), The State of the Media in Uganda (Nairobi: Eastern Africa Media Institute
and Friedrich Ebert Foundation, 1998), p. 1.
17
Kilimwiko, Lawrence and Mapunda, Joseph (eds.), A handbook on the State of the Media in Tanzania (Dar
es Salaam/Nairobi: Eastern Africa Media Institute, Friedrich Ebert Foundation; and Association of
Journalists and Media Workers, 1998), p. 2.
18
Makali (ed.), Media Law and Practice, p. 63.
19
The East African, “Media and Freedom: Uganda Supreme Court Kicks Out Colonial Law” in The East
African (Nairobi: Nation Media Group), 1 st March, 2004, pp. 8 and 10.
20
Ibid., pp. 72-79, Kemigisha (ed.), The State of the Media in Uganda, pp. v and 7-10, Kilimwiko and
Mapunda (eds.), A handbook on the State of the Media in Tanzania, pp. 3 and 6.
21
Nyerere, Julius K., ”The Arusha Declaration: Socialism and Self-Reliance” in Freedom and Socialism : A
Selection From Writings and Speeches 1965-1967 (Dar es Salaam/London: Oxford University Press,
1968), pp. 231-234, Kilimwiko and Mapunda (eds.), A handbook on the State of the Media in Tanzania,
pp. vii-viii; and Abuoga and Mutere, The History of the Press in Kenya, p. 34.
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