SECTOR 4

Panellists said donor-funded training has its limits as it often focuses on a narrow
thematic area and tends to target the same journalists.
In-house training and mentorship programmes are also available but are often
not well-organised.

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:

✓

✓

✓

✓✓

✓

✓

✓✓

✓

✓
✓

3.6
2006: 3.2; 2008: 2.3; 2010: 3.3; 2012: 3.7; 2015: 3.9

4.8 Equal opportunities regardless of race or ethnicity,
social group, gender/sex, religion, disabilities and
age are promoted in media house
Tanzania’s media reflects the diversity and divisions of the broader society.
According to panellists, the sector is passively gender-insensitive, sexist and
discriminatory. Despite strides in the promotion of gender equity, women still
represent only a tiny percentage of top management in both public and private
media. Throughout the sector, only two media owners and two media managers
are women, except in community radios where five of 35 managers are women.
Panellists stated that sexual harassment is a major problem in the Tanzanian
media:
There have been multiple complaints of “sextortion”. Male editors
frequently demand sexual favours from female journalists just to get
their stories published. Sometimes, they take female journalists on trips
with the hope of having sex with them. Victims include female students
on internship.
Tanzanian laws qualify sexual favours obtained by using one’s position as rape.
If found guilty, a culprit may face up to 30 years imprisonment. But this has not
stopped the practice.
In addition, panellists said that age discrimination was gaining ground. There is
now a stronger preference for younger reporters in newsrooms. In a few cases,
applicants have been told at interviews that they were too old for the job. Part of
the reason is the changing media landscape which has led to a higher demand
for tech-savvy journalists. However, panellists said there was still room for ‘the
old guard’ who ‘usually get things right’.

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AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER TANZANIA 2019

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