WE’RE used to government gagging of the media in certain countries, not the other way round.
The big news in Tanzania now is that
some media houses are taking to ‘blacklisting’ some government leaders
from reaching their audiences.
Accordingly, the Minister for
Information, Sports, Arts and Culture Dr Harrison Mwakyembe has
expressed concern over apparent attempts at blacklisting certain
government authorities, and has cautioned that such tendency was not
only unprofessional but also prevents such leaders from exercising his
noble duties.
Dr Mwakyembe expressed these grave
reservations at a function where he graced World Freedom Day
celebrations today, expressing government commitment in ensuring press
freedom and free flow of information across the country.
"… I think we need to revisit some of
the reactions when we think we are offended. Actions like black out
coverage of some leaders are not fair as they prevent them from
delivering their messages to the public," the Minister stressed.
Dr Mwakyembe responded to some of the
issues as raised by media stakeholders, calling for media players to
distinguish media business with other businesses due to its nature and
importance.
He said the government understand that
media houses have an interest in operating profitably, but cautioned
that the ‘profit motive’ shouldn’t override the need to run their media
houses professionally and, in turn, managed by credible and ethical
personnel.
For all media to prosper, the minister
pledged an enabling environment, but stressed there should be maximum
observation of the national interests so as to avoid unnecessary
confrontation with law enforcement authorities.
He also insisted there should be
continuous training among media personnel as a matter of paramount
importance, saying today’s media would require well trained staff to
cope with the sweeping changes across the world.
Even then, he was quick to commend jobs
‘well done’ by some of the media houses in efforts to “uncover the
evils” within society.
"We are grateful to (some) media houses …
out to assist the government in uncovering vices … please maintain that
… and invest into the ‘investigative reporting’ to facilitate that
task," he noted.
No comments:
Post a Comment