1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT
International Media Support (IMS) and the Union of Tanzania Press Clubs (UTPC) signed a partnership on September 1, 2020, to carry out a two-year project that ended on August 31, 2022.
The project aims to increase civil society capacity and participation in advocacy on media policy, citizen access to information, and fundamental freedoms. The project targeted journalists from 28 press clubs including those from radio, newspapers, television, blogs, and online media, as well as law enforcement and duty bearers. The project covers 28 regions including Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.
The overall objective for this project is to respond to challenges facing Tanzania’s fundamental freedoms and media sector, as well as to increase media capacity and participation in advocacy in order to create media-friendly environment.
2. The project has three specific objectives:
2.1 Improve ethical journalism in online and offline media.
2.2 Promote journalists’ safety and security and,
2.3 Monitor violations of freedom of expression and freedom of the media.
This project is carrying out a number of activities, including training 100 journalists in safety and security, 28 safety and security dialogues, the establishment of a safety and security protection mechanism, the capacity building of 28 Press Club coordinators on media violation monitoring, 16 freedom of expression and ethics dialogues, and finally the creation of a code of ethics for those who create content for online and offline media.
A total of 1,215 beneficiaries were reached during the project's two years of implementation, and 747 men and 468 women participated in various activities across the country.
3. However, the following were activities implemented for the period of two years.
3.1 5 Safety and security training for journalists were conducted.
3.2 2 capacity building training for Press Club’s coordinators for the purpose of monitoring and recording media violations.
3.3 27 safety and security dialogues were conducted.
3.4 16 Freedom of Expression, Self Censorship and Ethics dialogues were conduced.
3.5 5 consultative meetings for the development and establishment of safety and security mechanism were conducted.
3.6 Continuous monitoring of media and freedom of expression violations.
3.7 8 consultative meetings for the development of code of ethics were conducted.
3.8 1 validation meeting to approve final versions of Code of Ethics both Swahili and English.
3.9 Ethical code of conduct for online content producers was developed. Swahili and English copies were produced and the code adopted by various.
3.10 536 safety jackets for journalists were produced and distributed in response to safety needs.
4. ACHIEVEMENTS
4.1 Improved Relationship Between Journalists and Police:
The Mwanza Regional Police Commander (RPC) demonstrated a strong willingness to strengthen the relationship between journalists and the police force. This was evident when he officially invited journalists in Mwanza to participate in meetings organized by the police, fostering collaboration and goodwill.
4.2 Establishment of Regional Committees Between Police and Journalists:
Regional committees were established in Dodoma, Kigoma, and Mwanza to enhance cooperation and dialogue between journalists and the police.
4.3 Formation of a Safety and Security Taskforce Team:
A taskforce team was created, involving members from like-minded media organizations such as MCT, MISA Tanzania, TADIO, UTPC, Mwanza Press Club/THRDC Board, TEF, and TAMWA. UNESCO was also consulted due to its extensive expertise in this area.
4.4 Production and Distribution of Safety Jackets for Journalists:
Through this partnership program, UTPC produced 536 safety jackets for journalists. These jackets were distributed to seven press clubs where dialogues were held. Previously, it was challenging for police to identify journalists during unrest situations, as most media outlets did not provide safety jackets. Additionally, freelancers often struggled to purchase jackets due to high production costs.
4.5 Support Provided by the Mechanism:
4.5.1 Since its establishment, the mechanism has offered the following support: Legal Fee Support: A journalist named Dickson Kapungu received legal fee support of 150,000 TZS. A lawyer was provided to guide him when he was summoned to the police station in the Tunduma Songwe region.
4.5.2 Transport Reimbursement: A journalist from Zanzibar, Yassir Mkubwa, was reimbursed 96,000 TZS for transportation costs. He was required to report to the police station every Thursday for six weeks, and the mechanism covered his travel expenses during that period.
