But the environment remains hostile for journalists and vocal civil society activists who are regularly intimidated, threatened or even physically attacked. It is particularly risky for private and community media journalists, including those working for state-owned media outlets to criticise the President, the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) or the government. Entry into journalism is not restricted by law in Tanzania. However, journalists needing state access require press cards, which are issued to ‘accredited’ journalists by the Information Services department and such journalists must be accredited by a particular media house or have proof of relevant qualifications. There is no statutory protection of confidential sources of information for journalists and access to information is not legally guaranteed while information held by state authorities and public institutions is not easily accessible to citizens. The Public Service Act of 1962 restricts what public information civil servants, even those employed as information officers, can reveal. While internet service providers (ISPs) are required to register with the state, websites and blogs are not. This is expected to change, however, with the recently passed Cybercrimes Act, which is not yet in operation. There have been incidents where the state has sought to block internet content that was critical of the government and ruling party in general. No such cases have gone before the courts, however, and there is currently no requirement that a court warrant first needs to be obtained before a site is blocked. There are a number of active media support groups in Tanzania, which lobby for a more media-friendly legislative environment and the government generally engages media stakeholders in consultations about pending media-related legislation but the meaningful participation of non-state stakeholders was highly questionable with the passing in parliament of the Cybercrimes Act. There is a wide choice of media, particularly print media, but these are not necessarily affordable to the majority of the population. As at June 2015, 854 newspapers, magazines and journals were registered with the Registrar of Newspapers with the majority of them privately owned. According to the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), there are 26 television stations in the country and 84 radio stations as well as a growing number of cable and subscription television operators. According to TCRA figures, there were 700,000 decoders as at December 2014. However, according to the panellists each of the country’s 30 regions has its own television and radio station. Radio remains the most accessible and affordable media in the country. 8 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Tanzania 2015