This archive report was first published on 25 August 2019.
August 25, 2019, marked a somber day for press freedom in Africa, as Tanzanian journalist Joseph Gandye was arrested and detained for publishing 'fake news'. The incident has sparked widespread condemnation from the international community, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
However, President John Magufuli's government remains unmoved, demonstrating a disturbing trend of disregard for media freedom and human rights in the region.
As Tom Mshindi, a former editor-in-chief of the Nation Group, notes, 'President Magufuli believes that he can only morally vacuum Tanzania by bullying and riding roughshod over everyone else, and the media should only cheer him on.'
But the media will not be silenced. In fact, Mshindi argues that journalists and media outlets must rebuild the once-formidable alliance between civil society and media at the national, regional, and international level to survive the inevitable blows ahead.
With governments in the region increasingly intolerant of criticism, the situation for media and journalists is dire. In South Sudan, several journalists are being held, while in Rwanda, media houses and journalists know that they will be taken no prisoners.
Even in Kenya, the leadership's disdain for media is palpable, with President Uhuru Kenyatta dismissing newspapers as 'only good for wrapping meat' and Deputy President William Ruto expelling journalists from his functions.
As Mshindi concludes, 'Journalists and media are on their own, and they must urgently rebuild the once-formidable alliance between civil society and media at both the national, regional, and international level. It is a necessary alliance to survive the inevitable blows ahead.'
