FOTP 2013 Full Report

authorities charged Theophil Makunga, the managing editor of Mwananchi CommunicationsLimited, the company that prints Tanzania Daima, with “intent to excite disaffection” for thesame article. All three cases remained pending at year’s end.Among other restrictive laws, the National Security Act allows the government to takeaction against any piece of investigative journalism that touches on information it considersclassified. Libel is a civil offense, and officials have used libel suits to weaken cash-strappedmedia houses. In 2011, a court ordered a local Swahili newspaper, RAI, to pay 15 millionshillings ($9,500) in damages and publish apologies to former minister of good governanceWilson Masilingi for a column that accused him of soliciting funds from his voters to buy anapartment. Such fines can cripple media companies, which often operate on a tight budget; theaverage journalist’s salary has been estimated at between $58 and $72 per month. Nevertheless,most cases are settled out of court by arbitration or simply abandoned.A number of laws, such as the Civil Service Act and the Public Leadership Code ofEthics Act, block access to information for journalists. Many public officials face legalrestrictions on providing information to the media. Progress on enacting freedom of informationlegislation has been slow, with continued consultations on a draft bill. Despite claims byInformation Minister Fenella Mukangara that the Right to Information Bill would be movedthrough the parliament in 2012, it had not been introduced by the end of the year.The 1993 Broadcasting Services Act provides for state regulation of electronic media andallows the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), a nominally independentagency, to close stations at will. There is concern that the TCRA is subject to governmentinfluence, as its board chairman and director general are both appointed by the president. Mediaadvocacy groups are generally able to operate freely. In 1995, an independent self-regulatorybody, the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), was established to help promote a more free andopen media sphere. Since its inception, the MCT has helped to settle defamation lawsuits,worked toward preserving media freedom and journalistic ethics, and encouraged new mediapolicies and legislation.The brutal killing of television reporter Daudi Mwangosi in September 2012 marked thefirst work-related fatality of a journalist in Tanzania in the last 20 years. Mwangosi, a reporterfor the private station Channel Ten and chairman of the local press club in Iringa, had confrontedpolice officers over the arrest of another journalist during a demonstration by supporters of theopposition party Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA). Mwangosi was shot atpoint-blank range with a tear-gas canister and died at the scene. The authorities arrested a juniorofficer in connection with the killing, but they did not pursue at least six other officers thought tohave been involved, according to the MCT.Conditions in the semiautonomous Zanzibar archipelago remain more restrictive than onthe mainland. There are indications that the Zanzibar government is interested in reform, as theMCT now has a branch on the islands, new press clubs are operating, and an editors’ forum wascreated in 2009. However, the Zanzibar government largely controls the content of radio andtelevision broadcasts, and it publishes the only daily paper, Zanzibar Leo. Zanzibar Wiki Hii isthe only private weekly, though it generally avoids critical coverage of the leadership, asimplicating Zanzibar lawmakers in criminal activities can result in a minimum fine ofapproximately $200 or three years’ imprisonment. There are four private radio stations, althoughnone are critical of the government; two are owned by ruling party supporters, and the otherspredominantly focus on religious issues. Residents can receive private broadcasts from themainland, and opposition politicians have access to the state media outlets. In September 2012,368