SECTOR 2 Tanzania is a diverse society with more than 120 tribes and local languages. However, this diversity is not reflected in the media as the law prohibits broadcast in local languages. Restricting broadcasting languages to ‘proper English and Swahili’ is part of a government drive to consolidate national unity and prevent the dominance of a few ethnic groups over the others. Nevertheless, panellists criticised the approach as unjustifiable. ‘This denies the ordinary Tanzanian a voice in the media.’ ‘We are a diverse country but are still far from accepting diversity and pluralism.’ Panellists said language aside, there were problems with how different ethnic groups (particularly minorities) are represented in the media: the media generally reproduce stereotypes about Indian and Arab Tanzanians. In addition, very few programmes target people with disabilities. The use of sign language on TV is rare and there are no newspapers in braille. 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: Score of previous years: ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓✓ 2.2 2006: n/a; 2008: n/a; 2010: 2.6 ; 2012: 2.8; 2015: 3 2.9 Media cover the full spectrum of economic, cultural, political, social, national and local perspectives including through investigative reports Tanzania will hold general elections in 2020. During the AMB (about a year to the polls) panellists said very little was in the news about the elections. They stated that the low coverage of the approaching elections illustrated a steady decline in political reporting generally. Due to the chilling effect of an increasingly shrinking political space, journalists have turned their attention to subjects considered less sensitive such as human interest, culture and government action. Investigative journalism has also suffered, with fewer projects examined every year. Even then, media coverage is generally limited to urban centres. Few news organisations have correspondents in the far-flung parts of the country. Panellists stated that rural communities are only covered when a public figure, such as a minister, visits. Scores: Individual scores: 32 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER TANZANIA 2019