New dawn for media sector

DAR ES SALAAM: THE government yesterday launched the Journalists Accreditation Board (JAB), issuing seven directives to the regulatory body to enhance high ethical standards among media professionals when disseminating news in the country.

The long-awaited board has finally come into effect after about nine years since it was established in 2016 pursuant of the Media Service Act, Chapter 229.

Speaking during the launching ceremony yesterday in Dar es Salaam, Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Professor Palamagamba Kabudi, demanded the board to ensure all journalists adhere to laws, rules and their professional standards.

Under the board, only journalists who meet established criteria will be accredited to serve in media in order to foster truth, accountability, transparency, professionalism, press freedom and good governance.

Prof Kabudi also directed the board to register journalists as per agreed academic qualification and to ensure journalists observe ethical conduct by providing guidelines and frequent training while dealing with unethical conducts with transparency and justice.

Prof Kabudi also urged the board to collaborate with media outlets and universities which offer journalism programmes to up skills among practicing journalists in news rooms.

Furthermore, he urged the board to prepare awareness programme which will enable citizens understand the benefits of certificate of accreditation to journalists and the board.

Furthermore, Prof Kabudi ordered the board to ensure appropriate use of digital technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI) by considering the fact that the misuse of such technology has been perpetuating fake news and misinformation.

Also, he directed the board to work together with other responsible authorities in strengthening journalists’ safety and press freedom.

“Accredited journalists have a good opportunity to be protected against threats, harassment among other injustice while executing their responsibilities. We need to strengthen the efficiency of the media profession so that it can benefit journalists and the community at large,” Prof Kabudi said.

He further said the accreditation board comes in a right time to enforce efficiency when the country experiences unprecedented increase in the number of media outlets and journalists.

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In that regard, he noted that all accredited journalists will be listed to the board’s data base.

He said such professional recognition is going to earn journalist respect similar to experts in other disciplines including medicine and law who are doctors and lawyers respectively.

Prof Kabudi said JAB is poised to facilitate career development through, among others, capacity building programme to journalists and promoting truthfulness.

He attributed the launch of JAB to President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan’s 4Rs philosophy which stands for Reforms, Resilience, Rebuilding and Reconciliation that made the board which was legally established since 2016 under the Media Service Act to be effective this year.

Moreover, he reminded that the government also lifted ban of some newspapers and online media which were previously debarred.

Prof Kabudi said the board will be responsible for accrediting journalists, provision of press cards, monitoring professional ethical conduct and academic qualification, undertaking capacity building programme to journalists and advising the government on matters relating to development of the media sector.

In a related development, he directed all members of the board to ensure they bring desired outcomes of upholding the standards of the media profession.

Earlier, Government Chief Spokesperson and the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Gerson Msigwa said over 500 students every year graduate in all universities across the country, requiring professional support through the board to grow their career.

The accreditation board is chaired by veteran journalist, Mr Tido Mhando who will redefine the country’s media landscape alongside other five members including Mr Mgaya Kingoba, a Tanzania Standard Newspapers’ (TSN) Acting Manager for the Kiswahili Media Services, Dr Egbert Mkoko of School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Dar es Salaam, Dr Rose Reuben, the Executive Director of the Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA) and Ladislaus Komanya, Senior state attorney.

Other is Acting Director of Information Service, Mr Rodney Thadeus while the Acting Managing Director of the Board is Mr Patrick Kipangula.

For his part, Mr Mhando said commencement of operation of the board marks the end of intruders in the media profession who have been pretending as journalists.

He said the regulatory body will ensure journalists adhere to the profession’s high standards such as integrity, accountability and professionalism and make their content more informative.

Mr Mhando said the board is going to address decreasing quality of news in media outlets whereby the media contents have been dominated by soft news, leaving the audience uninformed and less engaged.

Reacting on his appointment to the board, Mr Kingoba said it is a great respect to his career, TSN and the country at large.

He assured the government and journalists that he will contribute positively to the success of JAB by collaborating with all stakeholders in the media industry.