It is a day to remember that journalists in many countries are still subjected to threats, harassment and poor working environments. The theme for this year's World Press Day is 'Media Freedom Helping to Transform Society.'
Back home the Tanzanian press enjoys relatively more freedom than many countries of Africa. According to the 'Reporters without Borders', Press freedom index, Tanzania is doing well and ranked 34th last year from 41st position in 2010.
Uganda fell from 43rd in 2010 to 139th last year. Kenya fell from 70th in 2010 to 84th last year. Rwanda improved from rank 169th in 2010 to 156th last year, while Burundi drooped from 108th to 130th. However, despite the noticeable development of press freedom in Tanzania and Zanzibar, including the ongoing efforts to review media laws and abolish all oppressive laws, there are still a lot to be done so that reporters work conveniently.
Reporters in Zanzibar complain about discrimination and the bureaucracy involved while sourcing information. Unfavourable working environments, low wages, and the deliberate refusal of concerned parties to share information while following up on stories. The President of Zanzibar, Mr Ali Mohamed Shein, has repeatedly asked ministers and executives in government to be open when journalists ask for information. Unfortunately some leaders are reluctant to do so and some are rather harsh towards journalists.
Veteran journalist, Mr Samwilu Mwaffisi commenting on performance of Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) in one of his publications wrote that journalists work under unfriendly conditions which include unreliable transport, lack of modern tools, and a lack of incentives.
Mwaffisi recommended that the government should improve ZBC's working environment by rehabilitating the broadcasting house, provide staff with adequate working tools and offer employees incentives. Even though Mwaffisi's comments are confined to the ZBC, his findings reflect the situation in many news rooms, yet, there is little being done by media owners in improving the situation.
An example of discrimination of journalists is at the functions where journalists have been invited to provide press coverage. From an unfriendly reception at the venue of the functions to being denied seats, in addition journalists are sometimes denied the documented information.
On the issue of poor payment, many reporters have also been complaining that their employers are not putting in any effort into finding solutions to improve the working environment, with no support from the media owners themselves and press clubs.
As Tanzania moves forward to promote human rights, and to consolidate democratic institutions in order to ensure good governance and the rule of law, the problems faced by journalists are quite unfair.Likewise the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) states that there can be no press freedom if journalists exist in conditions of corruption, poverty and fear.
The organisation observes that journalists are among the poorest paid workers in Africa. Most journalists in the continent do not have proper contracts with the media organisations they work with, while a significant number of journalists continue to be treated as casual labourers, despite the numerous years that they may have spent with these organisations."
Some media stakeholders are of the view that for journalists to gain more respect on the continent, their working conditions must be improved. IFJ aims to push governments to promote social justice and rights for journalists. It is becoming more and more evident that the media is the most appropriate tool for the promotion of democracy, and the rule of law, as the strong waves of democracy continue to blow across the continent.(By Issa Yussuf, 2 May 2012, ALLAFRICA.COM)
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