TSN wins top compliance award
DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA Standard Newspapers (TSN) has been named the Most Law-Compliant Government Media House of 2025 at the 16th Excellence in Journalism Awards Tanzania (EJAT) in recognition of its professionalism and adherence to media regulations.
Organised by the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), the awards brought together journalists, editors, media owners, policymakers and development partners to celebrate excellence, ethics and innovation in journalism.
Speaking after receiving the award in Dar es Salaam on Friday, TSN Managing Director, Ms Asha Dachi, expressed appreciation to MCT for recognising the institution’s contribution to professional journalism.
She said the award reflects TSN’s long-standing commitment to its founding principles and mandate as a public media institution and publisher of the Daily News, Sunday News, HabariLEO and SpotiLEO, including offering digital and online media services.
“I would like to sincerely congratulate MCT for this recognition. TSN has built a strong reputation in the media industry because it has remained committed to its founding principles since its establishment,” she said.
Ms Dachi said the achievement was the result of collective efforts by editors, journalists and management in upholding professional standards and public service journalism.
“We have always worked as a team to uphold the values and objectives that led to the establishment of government newspapers. Our responsibility is to promote professional journalism, safeguard media ethics and maintain high standards of reporting,” she said.
She also congratulated HabariLEO journalist Halima Mlacha for winning an individual award at the ceremony, describing her achievement as an inspiration to other journalists within TSN.
“Her achievement demonstrates that we have highly capable journalists who can compete and excel at the highest professional level,” she said.
Ms Dachi further encouraged journalists from Daily News, HabariLEO and TSN’s digital platforms to actively participate in journalism awards and professional competitions as a way of benchmarking their work and improving quality.
“These awards provide an opportunity for self-assessment and professional growth. Participation enables journalists to showcase the quality of their work and learn from others in the industry,” she said.
She also urged journalists to invest more in investigative reporting, stressing that impactful journalism plays a critical role in addressing societal challenges and promoting national development.
“I call upon TSN journalists to continue producing investigative and impactful stories that make a difference in people’s lives and contribute to the country’s development,” she said.
Meanwhile, the overall winner of the EJAT 2025 awards, Mr Simon Mkina of Pambazuko Online, received a cheque worth 3 million/- from the Guest of Honour, President of the East African Court of Justice, Judge Nestor Kayobera.
Speaking after receiving the award, Mr Mkina said that although Tanzanian journalists have immense potential, many often limit themselves due to fear of backlash or uncertainty about how influential stakeholders may react to their work.
“Sometimes we limit ourselves by wondering whether a particular story will upset certain people. This makes us hold back, yet we have tremendous capacity to achieve much greater things in this profession,” he said.
