Media law bad, archaic and oppressive, says MCT

Media personnel in Tanzania have expressed concern over parliament’s seemingly reluctant tabling of the media bill saying it has been repeatedly postponed yet currently ‘there are bad and outdated media laws which are oppressive.’

The Media Council of Tanzania’s acting Executive Secretary, Pili Mtambalike, who noted that such laws do not give freedom of expression to media professionals in the country and hence undermine the entire profession. 

“The lack of a comprehensive media bill that provides for freedom expression and access to information is seriously hurting the country’s media fraternity,” Mtambalike lamented.

She was speaking to the International Press Institute (IPI) top-most Executive Director, Alison Bethel McKenzie at the turn of the week in Dar es Salaam during the officials visit to the country to discuss media practice in the country.

“We want the media to be vibrant and in a position to question concerned parties when there are queries…this ensures good governance,” she said.

The Acting Executive Director told her visitor that since the media law was tabled in Parliament over eight years ago, it has been put off from discussions to date.

“We are particularly concerned with recent developments in the media industry of the country…we have information suggesting repeated violation of human rights and suppression of media freedom,” she said.

Mtambalike narrated various incidences such as killings and torture of media professionals in the recent years.

The IPI official was in a special ‘press freedom mission’ in Ethiopia ahead of the trip here and is to fly to Zanzibar for a similar mission.

In a related development Executive Director McKenzie announced IPI’s intention to sponsor short media training courses aimed to empower the emerging professionals of the media industry in the country. 

“Our personal interest is to develop our network to get closer to practicing journalists in the world,” she said.  

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN