BY MLEMI ALPHONCE
Media owners and practitioners used this year’s World Press Freedom Day in Arusha to push for greater media freedom alongside improved access to economic opportunities, warning that financial insecurity was increasingly undermining the profession.
Speaking during last week’s commemoration, media practitioners said editorial independence cannot be sustained without economic stability, citing low pay, shrinking advertising revenues and limited funding as persistent challenges.
“Press freedom cannot exist in a vacuum. If journalists are struggling to survive, independence becomes a luxury rather than a principle,” one senior journalist said.
Others noted that economic pressure was quietly eroding media integrity.
Stakeholders called for deliberate investment in the media sector, including fair remuneration, increased advertising from private and public institutions and policies that support independent journalism.
Some also called on the government to review 18 per cent advertising tax policy and reconsider restrictions prohibiting certain institutions and organisations from advertising, arguing that the country’s economic policies had shifted from socialism towards a market economy.
“True press freedom is not just about what we are allowed to publish but whether we can afford to remain independent while doing so,” a participant said.
Speaking at the same event, the Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Paul Makonda, underscored that sustainable income was essential to safeguard the dignity and independence of the media.
“It is difficult to achieve press freedom if journalists themselves are poor. The freedom we are fighting for must go hand in hand with building a strong economic base for journalists and media institutions,” he said.
He warned that without financial strength, media outlets risked serving the interests of wealthy individuals, adding that economic capacity would free journalists from operating under financial influence.
