TWO years of the leadership of President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan is a comfort for the media industry in this country. No media has been closed for the so called violating acts relating to the contents of broadcasting or providing information which is not needed.
Despite the existence of challenges that still need to be solved in order to ensure that freedom of expression and press expands further in our country,
it is comforting to news stakeholders who are journalists, politicians, servants of word of God, activists and academicians who know the good and bad of the lack of freedom of press and expression.
A journalist like another artist sees far so if he misses and fails to understand anything because of the presence of oppressive laws it is a big blow to him because he is not able to determine the environment around him because he is supposed to get wide field of information in the sense of getting information, informing, participating in discussions.
President of the United Republic of Tanzania in April 2021, asked the Ministry of Information to open the media that had been closed including social networks, Mawio, Mseto, Mwanahalisi and Tanzania Daima newspapers.
President Samia has also used platforms to talk to the media and show her understanding of the importance and willingness to have an open media that does not interfere with any authority, thus increasing the happiness of journalists in this country.
During one year of the president's leadership, the media that were closed have been opened, thus increasing the power of reporting for Tanzanians and enabling the journalists of those media to start their work and thus earn their livelihood.
In addition, President Dr Samia ordered the laws, rules and punishments to be clear, offences and punishments to be known, but not to close the institutions by tyranny without following the established procedures.
"But make sure that whoever you give permission to operate a media outlet follows the Government's laws and the rules are clear, tell them the punishment for the offence and give punishments you set in the rules, let's not just lock them up," insisted Dr Samia.
United Nations Secretary General Mr Antonio Guterres said recently that despite the fact that journalists have had a great responsibility to inform society about various issues including health and climate change, the threats they face when reporting and narrating those events fairly and accurately, are increasing every day.
Mr Guterres said "from global health issues to the climate crisis, corruption, and human rights violations, writers are facing an increased pressure from politicians in the performance of their work and attempts to silence them from many sides are done".
He added that although digital technology has democratised access to information, it has also created a great challenge for journalists, an issue supported by the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, Ms Michelle Bachelet, who has described the increase in the use of investigative tools such as Pegasus or Candiru spyware which hack and interfere with people's lives.
Ms Bachelet said "Those technological tools that have been reported to be used in at least 45 countries in the world are an insult to the right to privacy and the restriction of freedom of expression and that their use has led to arrests, threats and even murders of journalists, endangering sources of information as well as keeping them in risk."
Human Rights want all countries to be reminded that they need to establish mechanisms to control the purchase and distribution of surveillance technologies to have democratic and free world.
Ms Bachelet said that respecting human rights is not only the responsibility of the government, but private investigation companies should also publicly confirm their commitment to respect freedom of expression and privacy, respect human rights, and report openly on their activities with civil society consultation.
In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly approved the establishment of the World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated every year on May 3 after UNESCO endorsed the Declaration of Windhoek, Namibia, which was issued by journalists from Africa in 1991, calling for freedom of the media.
It is a special day for the media to commemorate by showing the importance of the media in the welfare, development and benefits to the society. However, it is important to promote and maintain the freedom of the media in the world in parallel with protecting the stakeholders of social communication so that they can fulfill their obligations and responsibilities on the road.
The goal is to strengthen the process of production, distribution and finally, its use, by strengthening journalism, truth and transparency as well as building the capacity of consumers.
The social communication process has undergone major changes in recent years, so much that its effects are felt in the health sector, dignity, respect and basic human rights, democracy, well-being and human development.
The slogan that marked the 2022 media day celebration was "Journalism under Digital Siege." It was an opportunity for the industry to reflect on journalism under the digital system, freedom of expression, safety of journalists as well as the privacy of users of this service.
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The willingness of the Government under President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan to expand the scope of access to information is a good sign that reflects the vision of stakeholders and defenders of freedom of information to see that a friendly environment is the right way to ensure that the nation is built on the basis of justice and democracy.
Chairman of Tanzania Editorial Forum (TEF) Mr Desdatus Balile, said that they appreciate presence of freedom of press in the country and urged now the freedom to be safeguarded by laws.
Speaking in the first symposium of development of the media sector on 17 December 2022 he said stakeholders are happy with wide space for freedom of press but want it to be protected by laws.
The existence of freedom of information is a joy for all groups in our society and recently Chairman of Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) Mr Freeman Mbowe in Mwanza city congratulated President Dr Samia for agreeing to do national reconciliation as this situation has brought national unity.
Mr Mbowe said this in the party's national public meeting held at Furahisha stadium and attended by a large crowd of people from different areas.
