CREDIT: AFP/Getty Images Journalists’ safety, freedom of expression, and the evolving legal and political landscape media bans as declared in her inaugural speech in 2021, Tanzania’s standing on RSF’s press freedom index dropped from 71st in 2016 to 143rd in 2023. This stark decline contrasts sharply with President Hassan’s predecessor, the late John Pombe Magufuli, who introduced laws undermining independent media, political opposition, and civil society during his tenure. In 2016, during Magufuli’s presidency, the enactment of the Media Services Act in Tanzania raised concerns about its potential threat to media freedom. Prior efforts had been invested in lobbying to amend the restrictive Newspaper Act of 1976. Recognising the integral role of a free press in the effectiveness of democratic reforms, any constraints on media freedom are viewed as potential weaknesses to the democratisation process. The government, under Magufuli, also introduced other laws such as The Cybercrimes Act of 2015, The Statistics Act of 2015, and The Access to Information Act of 2015, collectively influencing media freedom. Now that she has shown goodwill to change the situation, this report will highlight the situations that still hold the press freedom status down in Tanzania. This legislative landscape signaled a looming threat of censorship for journalists, human rights defenders, and the opposition. Despite existing research on the challenges faced by Tanzanian journalists in their daily work, there has been a scarcity of publications since President Hassan assumed office. From 2015 to 2021, the Tanzanian government utilised these laws to target and prosecute critics, leading to media house suspensions, physical assaults, and threats against journalists. The report aims to supplement existing literature by exploring the issues faced by journalists in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar, providing a more comprehensive understanding of their current reality. In 2021, a cartoonist was arbitrarily detained for depicting the president under the influence of a predecessor, while investigative reporter Erick Kabendera faced a seven-month jail term in 2019 for critical reporting on the country’s economy, governance, and corruption. By doing so, it aims not only to shed light on the contemporary journalist’s experience in Tanzania, but also to assess the advances made under the President Hassan’s administration and identify further measures necessary to safeguard independent journalism. The disappearance of journalist Azory Gwanda in 2017 received little official attention. The 77 Tanzanian government’s increasing STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2023