MCL journalists shine in EJAT nominations with 17 nods

Dar es Salaam. Seventeen journalists from Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) are among the 72 nominees for the 2023 Excellence in Journalism Awards (Ejat) organized by the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), with the awards ceremony scheduled for September 28 this year.

Speaking to journalists on September 19, 2024, MCT Executive Secretary Ernest Sungura announced that of the 72 nominees, 45 are men (62.5 percent) and 27 are women (37.5 percent).

Sungura noted that among the nominees, 14 are from television, 13 from online media, 20 from radio, and 25 from newspapers.

"The nominees were selected based on quality criteria, including truthfulness, accuracy, diversity, fairness, depth, research, creativity, originality, uniqueness, analysis, accountability, exposure of wrongdoings, integrity, clarity of presentation, and investigative reporting," he said.

He added that specific criteria were used to account for the different types of media, including radio, television, newspapers, and online news.

The competition will identify the first, second, and third place winners, as well as an overall winner across 20 categories, in a ceremony attended by the Speaker of the Tanzanian Parliament, Dr Tulia Ackson, who will be the guest of honour.

Additionally, during the awards presentation, the Minister for Information, Communication, and Information Technology, Jerry Silaa, will launch the Awards and Tuzo Magazine, aimed at promoting excellence across various sectors in Tanzania and beyond.

The magazines, one in English and the other in Swahili, will focus on the Ejat Awards, including narratives of all the nominees' journeys.

"The work of writing these narratives begins today, so all nominees should be ready to be contacted by the Tuzo Magazine journalists at any time from now. Other content will include sponsors' contributions to changing people's lives, including promoting and building the media industry," Sungura said.

Furthermore, Sungura said that for the first time, the number of submissions for the Ejat 2023 has increased to 1,135 from 893 in 2022. In 2020, there were 396 submissions, and in 2021, 608.

Among these, journalists from the Dar es Salaam region led with 290 submissions, followed by Arusha with 81, Mwanza with 74, and Iringa with 72 submissions.

"Meanwhile, Mtwara ranked fifth with 49 submissions. From Zanzibar, submissions were received from North Pemba (36), South Pemba (43), and Urban West (29)," said Sungura.

Notable nominees from Mwananchi include Jacob Mosenda, Julius Maricha, Hellen Nachilongo, Salome Gregory, Eliya Solomon, Zourha Malisa, Harrieth Makwetta, and George Helahela, among others.

Sungura also indicated that MCT is considering starting digital initiatives to track journalists and their work to ensure that leading nominees can compete internationally.

This decision follows a trend where some journalists who produce outstanding work have not voluntarily submitted their entries.

"This led judges to question some works that they deemed eligible but were not submitted. With this approach, we will be able to identify them. In the future, we plan to recognize journalists who excel weekly, monthly, quarterly, and ultimately, the best performer of the year," Sungura added.

He emphasized that this initiative would ensure that the winners are competitive on a global scale.

Regarding the judging process, the Chair of the Judges Panel, Halima Sharrif, confirmed that the evaluations were conducted based on the established criteria.