DOCSLIB.ORG

Between Professional Ideals and Harsh Reality

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Between Professional Ideals and Harsh Reality Södertörns university | School of social sciences Bachelor thesis 15 hp | Journalism | Spring semester 2014 (Frivilligt: Programmet för xxx) Between professional ideals and harsh reality – A case study of health journalism and reporting in three Tanzanian daily newspapers By: Henrik Lindstedt Supervisor in Sweden: Jöran Hök Supervisor in Tanzania: Michael Andindilile Examiner: Christian Andersson 4 In Tanzania development has been on the agenda for a long time and one of the steps that has been taken to try to affect change is through communication and information. Under the first president of Tanzania, Julius Nyere, the media was monopolized and utilized as a tool for the government to push its agenda for development. Today, however, the media looks a bit differ- ent from the time of Nyerere, with a majority of privately owned media. Despite the focus on development the situation in public health is still poor, with both communicable diseases (i.e. HIV/AIDS and malaria) and non-communicable diseases (i.e. cancer and diabetes) claiming a lot of premature deaths. This thesis is a minor field study, financed by a scholarship from the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). Its purpose is to examine the professional ideals of Tanzanian journalism today when it comes to health reporting and the development in public health. To fulfil this purpose interviews were conducted with journalists at three Anglophone daily newspapers (Daily News, The Citizen and The Guardian) in the economic capital, Dar es Salaam. Initially a quantitative content analysis was conducted. How the journalists feel that they can live up to their ideals and what obstacles they see in doing so was also examined. The study showed that the journalists want to contribute to the development, but that their ideals in how to do so differ. The most prevalent ideal was that the media should work to in- form and to educate the public. At the government owned newspaper, Daily News, the united front of the media and the government lived on. They felt responsible to stick to the govern- ment agenda. However, they also expressed that they felt responsible towards the ordinary people. The journalists felt that they could not live up to their ideals, especially the ideal of being the voice of the voiceless, because of the economic situation of the newspaper. The economic situation also affected the privately owned newspapers. The more active role of watchdog was more prevalent at these newspapers but was rarely practiced due to lack of resources. Keywords: Dar es Salaam, development journalism, health reporting, journalism studies, minor field study, professional role Hello, hello Tanzania! Three words that are forever stuck in my head after the crowded dala dala (bus) trips through the streets of Dar es Salaam. In the dala dalas the radio was always on, playing local and international hits. The three words are from the jingle of one of the big radio stations and for me the song works as a reminder of the warmth and familiarity of the people that helped me to find my way in this exciting Tanzanian metropole. The initial confu- sion that I and my travel companion Anna Nilsson felt when we first got to the city was quickly transformed into excitement when we got to the University of Dar es Salaam and met are soon-to-be good friends. Thank you for your friendship and valuable help, you know who you are. I would also like to thank the Swedish International Development Agency, Sida, which gave me this opportunity through a Minor Field Study scholarship. The choice to go to Tanzania was initially not made by me. I had heard about this scholarship and I was interested to get the opportunity to write my bachelor thesis in another country. But it was not until I got a message from my classmate Anna Nilsson, asking if I wanted to come with her to Dar es Salaam, that I was convinced. I was flattered that she had asked me and that was when I started to build a commitment to this project. Anna, thank you for all the support and good times! As a journalist student this trip was invaluable. I interviewed a lot of very interesting journal- ists at the three daily newspapers Daily News, The Guardian and The Citizen. They did not only give me their time and thoughts, they also gave me different perspectives on how to look at journalism as a profession. Except my respondents I also met other people that in different ways deals with the field of journalism. I got a lot of help at the Media Council of Tanzania, where especially Kelvin Tiba was of great assistance. I would like to thank all of these people for their help and inspiration. Last but not least I must thank my two supervisors, Michael Andindilile at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (UDSM) and Jöran Hök at Södertörn University in Stockholm. You both challenged me intellectually and made me see the faults that my brain refused to detect. Thank you Tanzania, I will be back! 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Research questions ........................................................................................................... 2 2. Background ........................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 The Tanzanian situation ................................................................................................... 3 2.1.1 Demography .............................................................................................................. 3 2.1.2 Health and development ............................................................................................ 3 2.2 Tanzanian history – A media perspective ........................................................................ 4 2.3 The media today ............................................................................................................... 6 2.3.1 Media ownership ....................................................................................................... 9 3. Theoretical framework and earlier research ................................................................... 10 3.1 Development journalism ................................................................................................ 10 3.1.1 Earlier research ........................................................................................................ 12 3.2 Perspectives on the role of the media in society and the journalist's professional roles 13 3.2.1 Earlier research ........................................................................................................ 14 4. Method ................................................................................................................................. 16 4.1 Quantitative content analysis ......................................................................................... 16 4.2 Semi-structured interviews ............................................................................................. 17 4.3 Methodological problems, reliability and validity ......................................................... 19 5. Results ................................................................................................................................. 21 5.1 Content analysis ............................................................................................................. 21 5.1.1 Prevalence of health news ....................................................................................... 21 5.1.2 Prevalence of development news ............................................................................ 22 5.1.3 The articles’ point of view ...................................................................................... 22 5.1.4 Main sources of information ................................................................................... 23 5.1.5 Different health topics ............................................................................................. 24 5.2 Interviews ....................................................................................................................... 24 5.2.1 The journalist’s role in development in health ........................................................ 25 5.2.2 Obstacles and the reality of Tanzanian media ......................................................... 29 6. Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 33 6.1 The ideals of health reporting ......................................................................................... 33 6.2 Obstacles and opportunities ........................................................................................... 35 7. Conclusions and discussion ............................................................................................... 39 References ............................................................................................................................... 42 Printed material .................................................................................................................... 42 Electronic material ..............................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Election Violence in Zanzibar – Ongoing Risk of Violence in Zanzibar 15 March 2011
    Country Advice Tanzania Tanzania – TZA38321 – Revolutionary State Party (CCM) – Civic United Front (CUF) – Election violence in Zanzibar – Ongoing risk of violence in Zanzibar 15 March 2011 1. Please provide a background of the major political parties in Tanzania focusing on the party in power and the CUF. The United Republic of Tanzania was formed in 1964 as a union between mainland Tanganyika and the islands of Unguja and Pemba, which together comprise Zanzibar. Since 1977, it has been ruled by the Revolutionary State Party (Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM). In 1992 the government legislated for multiparty democracy, and the country is now a presidential democratic republic with a multiparty system. The first multiparty national elections were held in 1995, and concurrent presidential and parliamentary elections have since been held every 5 years. The CCM has won all elections to date. The CUF, founded in 1991, constituted the main opposition party following the 1995 multiparty elections.1 At the most recent elections in October 2010, the CCM‟s Jakaua Kikwete was re-elected President with 61.7% of the vote (as compared to 80% of the vote in 2005) and the CCM secured almost 80% of the seats. Most of the opposition votes went to the Chadema party, which displaced the Civic United Front (CUF) for the first time as the official opposition. The opposition leader is Chadema‟s Chairman, Freeman Mbowe. Chadema‟s presidential candidate, Willibrod Slaa, took 27% of the vote, while CUF‟s Ibrahim Lipumba received 8%.2 Notwithstanding the CCM‟s election success, the BBC reports that Kikwete‟s “political legitimacy has been seen by some to have been somewhat dented in the 2010 elections”, given the decline in his percent of the vote, and a total election turnout of only 42%, down from 72% in 2005.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing Transport Trade Facilitation
    AID‐FOR‐TRADE: CASE STORY CENTRE FOR SOCIO‐ECO‐NOMIC DEVELOPMENT (CSEND) ASSESSING TRANSPORT & TRADE FACILITATION IN UGANDA, RWANDA AND TANZANIA Date of submission: January 31, 2011 Region: East Africa Countries: Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania Type: Field study of aid delivery mechanisms directed to reduce transport costs and non‐tariff barriers for exporters. Author: Vasudave Daggupaty Contact Details: 62 McCabe Crescent, Vaughan, ON, Canada L4J 2Y7; +1 905 738 1521; [email protected] Supporting Authors: Christian Ksoll, Achintya Singh 1 AID‐FOR‐TRADE CASE STORY: CSEND Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 4 Objective ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Issues Addressed ................................................................................................................................. 4 Design and Implementation ................................................................................................................ 4 Problems Encountered ....................................................................................................................... 4 Factors for Success/Failure ................................................................................................................. 5 Recommendations .............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Tanzania's Media Capture Challenge
    Unfinished business: Tanzania’s media capture challenge RYAN POWELL Researcher and media development consultant While Tanzania has gradually moved toward political pluralism and market economics, the development of independent media has remained stunted. This chapter argues that Tanzania’s media sector suffers from a multi-faceted form of capture that is a product of government regulation, clientelism, economic pressure, and intimidation. The capture of Tanzanian media by the state and political elites takes place against the backdrop of an underfunded and discredited press ecosystem and amid power struggles in an increasingly vocal and politically diverse society. This essay is a chapter from Anya Schiffrin, ed., In the Service of Power: Media Capture and the Threat to Democracy (Washington, DC: Center for International Media Assistance, 2017) 83 In the Service of Power: Media Capture and the Threat to Democracy Introduction Media capture in transitioning societies and economies takes a variety of forms: it is driven by corporate and government influence, buyouts, and ownership monop- olies. But as the case of Tanzania demonstrates, it is also manifest in regulatory frameworks and exacerbated by ad hoc intimidation, economic circumstances, skill deficiencies, and a host of other structural conditions. Media operating in Tanzania face a range of constraints, which include diverse and overlapping forms of media capture. Due to its history, Tanzania inherited a legacy of media control by the state and elites. As a former British colony, it adopted colonial-era regulations that were then supplemented with a post-colonial socialist belief in media as subservient to a state development agenda. Since 1992, Tanzania has gradually moved toward a pluralist political system and limited capitalism, introducing privatization and market mechanisms to boost industrialization, and allowing private media owner- ship.
    [Show full text]
  • AFRICA RISK CONSULTING Tanzania Monthly Briefing
    AFRICA RISK CONSULTING Tanzania Monthly Briefing December 2020 Tanzania Summary 4 December 2020 President John Magufuli (2015-present) outlines his priorities for his second and final term in office during the inauguration of parliament on 13 November following the resounding win of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in the October general election. While Magufuli has signalled further assistance for the private sector, his delay in appointing a full cabinet has further slowed government engagement. The protracted downturn in tourism globally is putting Tanzania’s economy, and its levels of foreign exchange reserves, under strain. Tanzania fares moderately compared to its regional neighbours in the Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s annual Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG). Magufuli’s second term off to a slow start President John Magufuli (2015-present) outlined his priorities for his second, and final, term in office at the inauguration of parliament on 13 November.1 Magufuli won the 28 October election with 84.4% of the popular vote, while the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party won an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly.2 Although there were significant concerns both within Tanzania and among international observers about the level of government interference in the polls,3 the National Electoral Commission (NEC) has upheld the results and the focus has now shifted to what Magufuli’s second term in office is likely to look like. During the inauguration speech, Magufuli vowed to continue to prosecute his broadly successful anti- corruption campaign, which has seen Tanzania rise from 119th place in 2014 to 96th place in 2019 in Germany-based non-governmental organisation Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index during his time in office.4 Magufuli also committed to work further to see the country industrialise, with a focus on job creation and infrastructure, as well as commitment to ensure that the country’s key economic indicators remain stable.
    [Show full text]
  • Responses to Information Requests - Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Page 1 of 22
    Responses to Information Requests - Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Page 1 of 22 Home Country of Origin Information Responses to Information Requests Responses to Information Requests Responses to Information Requests (RIR) are research reports on country conditions. They are requested by IRB decision makers. The database contains a seven-year archive of English and French RIR. Earlier RIR may be found on the UNHCR's Refworld website. Please note that some RIR have attachments which are not electronically accessible here. To obtain a copy of an attachment, please e-mail us. Related Links • Advanced search help 17 September 2018 TZA106150.FE Tanzania: Treatment of sexual minorities by society and the authorities, including legislation, state protection available and support services; the laws criminalizing same-sex unions in Zanzibar, including whether there is any confusion among the authorities regarding the applicable legislative provisions (2016-August 2018) Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Legislation Sources indicate that consensual sexual relations between adult men are illegal in Tanzania and that, in addition, lesbianism is prohibited in the semi- autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar (US 20 Apr. 2018, 26; Human Rights Watch 23 June 2017). https://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/country-information/rir/Pages/index.aspx?doc=457598&pls... 11/27/2018 Responses to Information Requests - Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Page 2 of 22 1.1 Tanzania The Tanzanian Penal Code provides the following:
    [Show full text]
  • Governance and Development of the East African Community: the Ethical Sustainability Framework
    Governance and Development of the East African Community: The Ethical Sustainability Framework Dickson Kanakulya Faculty of Arts and Sciences Studies in Applied Ethics 16 Linköping University, Department of Culture and Communication Linköping 2015 Studies in Applied Ethics 16 Distributed by: Department of Culture and Communication Linköping University 581 83 Linköping Sweden Dickson Kanakulya Governance and Development of the East African Community: The Ethical Sustainability Framework Licentiate thesis Edition 1:1 ISSN 1402‐4152:16 ISBN 978‐91‐7685‐894‐3 © The author Department of Culture and Communication 2015 Declaration: I declare that this study is my original work and a product of my personal critical research and thought. …………………………………………….. Kanakulya Dickson, Kampala, Uganda November, 2015 ii Approval: This research report has been submitted with the approval of my supervisor: Prof. Goran Collste --2015--11--09----- Co-Supervisor’s name: Signature: Date iii © 2015 Kanakulya Dickson All rights reserved iv Dedication: This work is dedicated to the Lord of all Spirits and Letters; accept it as a feeble effort to serve your eternal purposes.To Caroline Kanakulya, a beautiful and kindred spirit. To the healing of the spirit of East Africans.To the watchers who stood steadfast in the days of the multiplication. Great mysteries await across! v Acknowledgements: I acknowledge the Swedish Agency for International Development (Sida) and Makerere University for funding this research; and the staff of Makerere Directorate of Graduate Research and Training for support during the study. My deepest gratitude goes to my wife Caroline Kanakulya, my travel companion in life’s journey; thanks for standing my flaws and supporting me.
    [Show full text]
  • Tanzania: Recent Governance Trends and 2020 Elections in Brief
    Tanzania: Recent Governance Trends and 2020 Elections In Brief Updated October 26, 2020 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R46579 Tanzania: Recent Governance Trends and 2020 Elections In Brief Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 President Magufuli .......................................................................................................................... 1 Governance Trends Under Magufuli ......................................................................................... 2 Limits on Organized Political Rights and Political Party Activity...................................... 2 Restrictions on Expression, the Press, and Independent Research ..................................... 4 Curtailing the Independence of Civil Society ..................................................................... 5 The Government’s Human Rights Record and Rhetoric........................................................... 5 Elections: Recent Trends and 2020 General Elections .................................................................... 6 October 2020 Elections ............................................................................................................. 8 U.S. Relations and Congressional Responses ................................................................................. 9 U.S. Governance Programs .....................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Politics, Decolonisation, and the Cold War in Dar Es Salaam C
    A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick Permanent WRAP URL: http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/87426 Copyright and reuse: This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. For more information, please contact the WRAP Team at: [email protected] warwick.ac.uk/lib-publications Politics, decolonisation, and the Cold War in Dar es Salaam c. 1965-72 by George Roberts A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History University of Warwick, Department of History, September 2016 Politics, decolonisation, and the Cold War in Dar es Salaam, c. 1965-72 Acknowledgements 4 Summary 5 Abbreviations and acronyms 6 Maps 8 Introduction 10 Rethinking the Cold War and decolonisation 12 The ‘Cold War city’ 16 Tanzanian history and the shadow of Julius Nyerere 20 A note on the sources 24 1 – From uhuru to Arusha: Tanzania and the world, 1961-67 34 Nyerere’s foreign policy 34 The Zanzibar Revolution 36 The Dar es Salaam mutiny 38 The creation of Tanzania 40 The foreign policy crises of 1964-65 43 The turn to Beijing 47 Revisiting the Arusha Declaration 50 The June 1967 government reshuffle 54 Oscar Kambona’s flight into exile 56 Conclusion 58 2 – Karibu Dar es Salaam: the political geography of a Cold War city 60 Dar es Salaam 61 Spaces 62 News 67 Propaganda
    [Show full text]
  • “As Long As I Am Quiet, I Am Safe” WATCH Threats to Independent Media and Civil Society in Tanzania
    HUMAN RIGHTS “As Long as I am Quiet, I am Safe” WATCH Threats to Independent Media and Civil Society in Tanzania “As Long as I am Quiet, I am Safe” Threats to Independent Media and Civil Society in Tanzania Copyright © 2019 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-6231-37755 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org OCTOBER 2019 ISBN: 978-1-6231-37755 “As long as I am quiet, I am safe” Threats to Independent Media and Civil Society in Tanzania Summary .................................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations .......................................................................................................5 Methodology.............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Single-Party Rule in a Multiparty Age: Tanzania in Comparative Perspective
    SINGLE-PARTY RULE IN A MULTIPARTY AGE: TANZANIA IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement of the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Richard L. Whitehead August, 2009 © by Richard L. Whitehead 2009 All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT Title: Single-Party Rule in a Multiparty Age: Tanzania in Comparative Perspective Candidate's Name: Richard L. Whitehead Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Temple University, 2009 Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair: Richard Deeg As international pressure for multiparty reforms swept Africa during the early 1990s, long- time incumbent, such as UNIP in Zambia, KANU in Kenya, and the MCP in Malawi, were simultaneously challenged by widespread domestic demands for multiparty reforms. Only ten years later, after succumbing to reform demands, many long-time incumbents were out of office after holding competitive multiparty elections. My research seeks an explanation for why this pattern did not emerge in Tanzanian, where the domestic push for multiparty change was weak, and, despite the occurrence of three multiparty elections, the CCM continues to win with sizable election margins. As identified in research on semi-authoritarian rule, the post-reform pattern for incumbency maintenance in countries like Togo, Gabon, and Cameroon included strong doses of repression, manipulation and patronage as tactics for surviving in office under to multiparty elections. Comparatively speaking however, governance by the CCM did not fit the typical post-Cold-War semi-authoritarian pattern of governance either. In Tanzania, coercion and manipulation appears less rampant, while patronage, as a constant across nearly every African regime, cannot explain the overwhelming mass support the CCM continues to enjoy today.
    [Show full text]
  • THE RISE and FALL of the GOVERNMENT of NATIONAL UNITY in ZANZIBAR a Critical Analysis of the 2015 Elections
    162 DOI: 10.20940/JAE/2018/v17i1aDOI: 10.20940/JAE/2018/v17i1a8 JOURNAL8 OF AFRICAN ELECTIONS THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY IN ZANZIBAR A Critical Analysis of the 2015 elections Nicodemus Minde, Sterling Roop and Kjetil Tronvoll Nicodemus Minde is a PhD candidate in the United States International University – Africa, Nairobi, Kenya Sterling Roop is a political analyst in Telluride, Co., USA Kjetil Tronvoll is Director, Oslo Analytica and Professor and Research Director, Peace and Conflict studies at Bjorknes University College, Oslo, Norway ABSTRACT This article analyses the pitfalls that characterised the emergence and eventual demise of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tanzania’s semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar. Drawn from continuous political and electoral observations in Zanzibar, the article analyses how the 2015 general elections contributed to the eventual dissolution of the GNU. The GNU in Zanzibar was a negotiated political settlement between two parties – the incumbent Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and the Civic United Front (CUF). In particular, this article looks at how the start of the constitutional review process in Tanzania contributed to the withering of the GNU. Despite its undeniably noble agenda, the constitutional review process resuscitated old enmities between CCM and the CUF. The two parties’ divergent stances on the structure of the Union revived the rifts that characterised their relationship before the GNU. We analyse the election cycle rhetoric following the run-up to the elections and how this widened the GNU fissures leading to its eventual demise after the re-election in March 2016. After the 2015 elections were nullified, the CUF, which had claimed victory, boycotted the re-election.
    [Show full text]
  • Popular Expressions of Southern African Nationalism(S): Convergences, Divergences, and Reconciliations in South Africa and Zimbabwe
    POPULAR EXPRESSIONS OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN NATIONALISM(S): CONVERGENCES, DIVERGENCES, AND RECONCILIATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND ZIMBABWE By Blessing Shingirirai Mavima A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of African American and African Studies – Doctor of Philosophy 2019 ABSTRACT POPULAR EXPRESSIONS OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN NATIONALISM(S): CONVERGENCES, DIVERGENCES, AND RECONCILIATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND ZIMBABWE By Blessing Shingirirai Mavima Popular Expressions of Pan-Africanism and Southern African Nationalism(s): Convergences, Divergences, and Reconciliations in South Africa and Zimbabwe is a dissertation study that traces the transformations, reveals the tensions, and critically analyzes diverging and converging trajectories of different manifestations of African nationalism, including ethnic nationalism, state nationalism, and Pan-Africanism using contemporary South Africa and Zimbabwe as sites of analyses. Focusing on the metropolitan provinces of Gauteng and Harare respectively, I use the study to interrogate how popular expressions of African nationalism have emerged and evolved in the neighboring nations during their anti-colonial/anti-apartheid struggles throughout the 20 th century, and how they exist today. Presenting a thesis that I call nationalisms from below, the research study reveals how these manifestations of nationalism are imagined, practiced, and represente d by the initiatives and actions of different members of the civil society including artists, activists, laborers, and migrants in the two countries’ contemporary politics and society. My findings lead to a nuanced determination of the factors that influence the intersections, divergences, and convergences of what I refer to in the study as Africa’s tripartite nationalist expressions and identities—ethnicism, African Nationalism, and Pan- Africanism.
    [Show full text]