The dust has yet to settle on Tanzania’s recent, chaotically disputed elections, but a new crisis has emerged: the deafening silence of the local media.
As public outrage mounts, with citizens pointing fingers at the “fourth estate” for their lack of coverage during the unrest, media executives are beginning to open up about the terrifying reality their journalists faced.
The gravity of the situation was tragically underscored by the death of Clouds FM presenter Master Tindwa, who lost his life after allegedly being shot by police.
The narrative of “cowardice” and “complicity” is being fiercely challenged by media owners.
In a revealing post on her social media, the owner of Highlands FM and Vice Chair of the Media Owners Association Tanzania Executive Board Jacqueline Lawrence explained the impossible position journalists found themselves in.
She pointed to the looming threat of the Media Services Act, specifically Section 50, which effectively bars them from reporting anything deemed a threat to “National Security.”
This legal constraint, coupled with immediate physical danger, forced media houses into a heart-wrenching retreat.
“There has been so much blame, so much anger directed at Tanzanian media houses over the protests. I understand it. I truly do. People wanted truth, updates, and clarity. But for days, we went silent. And I know that silence hurt. But please, before you judge us, hear our side of the story,” she wrote.
The executive’s post painted a grim picture of unpreparedness and overwhelming risk, particularly in hotspots like Mbeya.
“We weren’t prepared and it’s our fault,” she admitted. “Our journalists went missing… we couldn’t reach all our sources and sadly the risk was higher than we imagined to report anything we couldn’t directly prove. Mbeya became a warzone overnight.”
The decision to pull reporters back came with news of indiscriminate violence. “When in Mbeya there was news of mercenaries randomly shooting, most of us called back our journalists… That is the heartbreaking truth. Some journalists are still missing. Some are afraid to step outside.”
She starkly concluded: “We are not cowards; we are survivors.”
The media leader acknowledged the blame but shifted the focus from condemnation to cooperation and reform. She called for a nationwide effort to “build bridges” instead of pointing fingers, recognizing that grievances exist among the government, the public, and international bodies.
Her message ended with a powerful appeal for the public to stand with the media in the fight for better laws:
“When tomorrow we file a case against a law that is detrimental to media, stand by us.”
“When tomorrow we need your subscriptions to keep us afloat, stand by us.”
The ultimate goal, she stressed, is a nation where “truth is not a crime” and journalists can report without fear.