AYUB RIOBA Media Accountability in Tanzania’s Multiparty Democracy Does self-regulation work? ACADEMIC DISSERTATION To be presented, with the permission of the board of School of Communication, Media and Theatre of the University of Tampere, for public discussion in the Lecture Room Linna K 103, Kalevantie 5, Tampere, on October 29th, 2012, at 12 o’clock. UNIVERSITY OF TAMPERE ACADEMIC DISSERTATION University of Tampere School of Communication, Media and Theatre Finland Copyright ©2012 Tampere University Press and the author Distribution Tel. +358 40 190 9800 Bookshop TAJU Fax +358 3 3551 7685 P.O. Box 617 [email protected] 33014 University of Tampere www.uta.fi/taju Finland http://granum.uta.fi Cover design by Mikko Reinikka Layout Aila Helin Acta Universitatis Tamperensis 1771 Acta Electronica Universitatis Tamperensis 1245 ISBN 978-951-44-8935-8 (print) ISBN 978-951-44-8936-5 (pdf) ISSN-L 1455-1616 ISSN 1456-954X ISSN 1455-1616 http://acta.uta.fi Tampereen Yliopistopaino Oy – Juvenes Print Tampere 2012 Acknowledgements This dissertation is the result of research work I embarked upon since July 2006 when I secured registration at the University of Tampere in Finland to pursue PhD studies. I wish to put on record the names of individuals and institutions whose support both academic and otherwise contributed immensely to the completion of this challenging task. First and foremost I wish to thank my supervisor and mentor Professor Kaarle Nordenstreng of the University of Tampere who initially, upon noticing my journalistic activities in Tanzania, suggested to me that I enrol for a PhD programme in Finland. His critical, detached and persistent guidance has taught me a great deal in the academic world and for this I am highly indebted to him. Secondly I wish to thank Dr Bernadin Mfumbusa of Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) my supervisor in Tanzania, who guided me with his critical input from the beginning of my research process. I also wish to recognise the invaluable contribution of Professor Christians G. Clifford of the University of Illinois, United States of America, who took his time to go through, and make comments on, my raw chapters while we both worked in Finland in September, 2011. I felt greatly honoured to have had the opportunity to discuss my work with the two distinguished professors Nordenstreng and Clifford as well as to have Dr. Mfumbusa as my supervisor in Tanzania. I am equally indebted to Professor Audrey Gadzekpo of the University of Ghana, who, together with Professor Christians G. Clifford, assessed the final draft of this dissertation and recommended it for final defense. I thank the two scholars for their critical input which added significant value to this dissertation as well as to my own academic knowledge. I would wish to thank all the individuals who contributed in different ways to the successful completion of this task. Given the limitation of space I hope I will be forgiven for mentioning a few among many: I wish to thank Professor Ullamaija Kivikuru of the University of Helsinki who provided occasional, though invaluable, input during my research work and writing process in Finland. I should also mention Dr. Svetlana Pasti of the University of Tampere with whom I shared both an office and ideas about dissertation writing as well as Aila Helin of the University of Tampere who designed my manuscripts into a book form. I also wish to thank Prof. Bernadetta Killian, former Dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), who was always ready to provide me with the support I needed during my research. I register my profound appreciation to the Center for International Mobility of Finland (CIMO) whose financial support enabled me to stay in Finland while writing my dissertation in 2011. Lastly, but not least, in a very profound way, I wish to register my sincere appreciation for the support I received from the administrations of both the University of Tampere, Finland and the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania throughout my research and dissertation writing process. Dar es Salaam, 15 September 2012 Ayub Rioba Contents PART ONE INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 Background .............................................................................. 10 1.1 Mass media after independence .........................................................................11 1.2 Media role and regulation in democratic reforms ...........................................14 1.3 A critical glance at democratic reforms in Africa ............................................17 1.4 Framework for self-regulation in democratization .........................................19 1.5 Self-regulation in Tanzania’s redemocratization ..............................................23 1.6 Establishment of MCT to spearhead self-regulation .....................................25 1.7 Research context ..................................................................................................27 Chapter 2 Research problem .....................................................................28 2.1 From Ujamaa media to neoliberal conglomerates ..........................................28 2.2 Neoliberal media in multiparty era ....................................................................29 2.3 Taming neoliberal media with self-regulation ..................................................31 2.4 Rationale for the study ........................................................................................33 2.5 Situating research problem .................................................................................34 2.6 Summary of research problem ..........................................................................34 2.7 Research questions ...............................................................................................35 Chapter 3 Methodology .............................................................................36 3.1 Review of literature .............................................................................................37 3.2 Survey .....................................................................................................................39 3.3 Focus group discussions .....................................................................................42 3.4 In-depth interviews ..............................................................................................45 3.5 Document review of MCT arbitration .............................................................47 PART TWO CONCEPTUAL AND POLICY ISSUES Chapter 4 Background to African media and democracy .........................52 4.1 Pre-colonial Africa: Communication as a way of life .....................................53 4.2 Colonial period: Communication for civilizing the natives ...........................55 4.3 Post-colonial period: Communication for development ................................57 4.4 The paradox of post-colonial Africa’s woes ....................................................61 4.5 Democratic reforms: Media policies and regulation .......................................63 4.6 Summary ................................................................................................................68 Chapter 5 Media and democracy .............................................................. 71 5.1 Democracy and its origins ..................................................................................71 5.2 Is democracy universal or a Western invention? .............................................76 5.3 Media and democracy: Theoretical origins ......................................................80 5.4 Media accountability in 21st century democracy ..............................................86 5.5 Summary ................................................................................................................90 Chapter 6 Media and democratization ...................................................... 91 6.1 Democratization: Theoretical perspectives ......................................................92 6.2 Media and democratization: Questioning key assumptions ..........................96 6.3 Pitfalls of neoliberal media in democratization ...............................................98 6.4 Media in Africa’s re-democratization ................................................................99 6.5 Summary ..............................................................................................................105 Chapter 7 Media self-regulation .............................................................. 107 7.1 Self-regulation: Origins......................................................................................107 7.2 What is self-regulation? .....................................................................................109 7.3 Media accountability: Concepts and framework ...........................................112 7.4 Codes of ethics as pillars of self-regulation ..................................................114 7.5 Assumptions for effective self-regulation ......................................................116 7.6 Critical discourse on self-regulation ................................................................118 7.7 African ethics, journalism practice and self-regulation ................................119 7.8 Summary ..............................................................................................................122 PART THREE FINDINGS Chapter 8 Views of journalists in survey ...............................................