SECTOR 3 However, because the chairman of the TCRA is appointed by the president, there is a sense that it is not possible for the body to operate independently from the state, with society’s interests, rather than those of the ruling party, at heart. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 3.2 (2012 = 3.5; 2010 = 3.4; 2008 = 2.8; 2006 = 3.0) 3.4 The state/public broadcaster is accountable to the public through an independent board which is representative of society at large and selected in an independent, open and transparent manner. Legally there are no provisions to guarantee the independence of the two public broadcasters: the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) and the Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). Because their boards are appointed by the state through the President and the Minister of Information, they are not independent. The chairmen of the Boards are appointed by the President but the criteria for this appointment is not transparent and there is a strong suspicion that nepotism and political favouritism are involved. The eight members of these boards are appointed by the Minister of Information. However, under the establishment of the government of national unity, the President is from the ruling party and the Minister of Information is from the opposition party, there is a sense that the TBC and the ZBC are not as unaccountable to the public as many think and that there is actually some diversity on the boards, with board members, “experts in their field”, being drawn from academia, government and media institutions. “There are very few members directly linked to political parties.” But other panellists disagreed, saying that there is sufficient political influence in the boards’ appointment to make them political bodies as all the TBC and ZBC AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Tanzania 2015 49