THE Tanzania Media Foundation (TMF) has pledged to facilitate stakeholders’ involvement in the process of gathering views to be incorporated in the media bill to be tabled before the parliament in the near future.
TMF Executive Director, Mr Ernest
Sungura made the remarks in Dar es Salaam during the TMF Outreach
Meeting which brought together editors, independent producers and senior
journalists.
Mr Sungura said there was a need for the
government to collaborate with stakeholders in the process of obtaining
the Media Services and Right to Information Bill as it was still in the
making process.
“Unless the laws governing the
profession are good then our job as journalists will be done
effectively,” said Mr Sungura. He extended recognition to the government
of Ireland through Irish Aid and the government of Sweden for their
support to TMF.
The Director of the Tanzania Information
Services, MAELEZO, Mr Assah Mwambene, who spoke on behalf of the
Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Nape Nnauye,
called for capacity building relevant in getting an Act that will meet
the requirements and needs of the profession.
“We are still going on with the process
of receiving stakeholders’ views, I therefore believe that the laws will
reflect on their interests,” noted Mr Mwambene. Mr Sungura extended
gratitude to TMF for extending grants support to journalists for the
sake of improving the profession.
“Some of the beneficiaries have been
able to impact on major transformation in the country and government
policies through their works,” he said. It would be important to extend
further the grants to journalists in other parameters for more
transformations.
On her part, the Ambassador of Ireland
to Tanzania, Ms Fionnuala Gilsenan, pointed out that the media industry
in the country has diversified for the past 20 years. The social media
on the other hand has promoted media engagement to the public and
community members.
“The media has been in the forefront in
exposing corruption and other malpractice in various systems of
government,” noted the Ambassador. President John Magufuli has also
acknowledged the contributions of the media in exposing issues that are
against the government policies
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