OPTIMISM IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY AFTER A DARK PERIOD minister the power to license newspapers annually and the government has routinely used this law to shut down publications that criticise its policies or expose corruption. The minister can order publications to report on issues of “national importance”. Through the same law, the Information minister enjoys de facto control over the Journalists Accreditation Board and the Independent Media Council, bodies that are charged with upholding ethical and professional standards in the media. All journalists are required to obtain accreditation every year and are compelled to be members of the Media Council. By Fumbuka Ng’wanakilala Both bodies are only independent on paper as their board members are appointed by the Information minister. INTRODUCTION T ANZANIA has experienced an unprecedented decline in press freedom over the past five years, with the East African country falling 53 places in an international ranking by Reporters Without Borders in 2021. (1) In 2016, Tanzania was ranked number 71 on the World Press Freedom Index but declined to 124th position in both 2020 and 2021 rankings, marking the biggest drop during this period among all 180 researched countries. The reversal occurred during the reign of late president John Magufuli, who died last year, and was replaced by President Samia Suluhu Hassan amid optimism that there would be a new dawn for the media industry with promises for swift reforms. MEDIA PLURALISM AND DIVERSITY LEGAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK Tanzania’s Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, but does not specifically mention press freedom and this has opened the room for the government to routinely clamp down on the media industry. There is optimism that President Hassan’s administration will repeal laws introduced by her predecessor in order to muzzle the media such as the Media Services Act, which was signed into law by Magufuli in 2016 to replace the Newspaper Act of 1976. The Media Services Act gives the government all the power to control the operations of the media industry in Tanzania. It gives the Information Research by the Media Council and Reporters Without Borders through the Media Ownership Monitor in 2018 revealed that Tanzania’s population gets its news mostly from outlets belonging to one of the four major companies, be it in print or broadcasting. (2) Mwananchi Communication Limited, a subsidiary of the Nairobi-based Nation Media Group, dominates the print media market followed by the IPP Media Group, New Habari (2006) Ltd and the Tanzania Standard Newspapers, which is owned by the government. IPP Media Group dominates the broadcasting sector. The government owns Tanzanian Broadcasting Corporation and there is Azam Media Ltd as well as Clouds Entertainment. STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT 2021 49 TANZANIA