When JPM’s media censorship came knocking at The Citizen’s door

During the fifth phase regime, press freedom took a huge hit and The Citizen was not sparred. On February 27, 2019, this paper was suspended in an incident that marked a clear escalation in media repression.

A bell rang inside the newsroom at around 2:00PM on February 27, 2019, to signal an important announcement. That was the time when everybody else was busy processing stories to feed the website, social media platforms and the newspaper for the next day.

I have to admit, I generally find lengthy meetings and endless training sessions to be a waste of time, especially when they involve PowerPoint presentations. I’ve always believed that if I’m doing my job well, those interruptions are often unnecessary.

However, the circumstances surrounding that bell were anything but ordinary. The then Executive Editor, Mr Bakari Machumu, looked visibly distressed. His forced smile did little to assure us that the situation was normal. Being a trained and experienced manager, he did his best to project calm but ultimately, he had to deliver that bad message.

When we gathered in the newsroom, Machumu’s address was unusually brief. In fact, it was the shortest meeting I ever witnessed during his tenure at Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL). The message was simple, short and clear: The Citizen was suspended for seven days due to a story about the depreciation of the Tanzanian shilling.

In my view, that suspension was not just a disciplinary action but a blatant instance of media exploitation. Those responsible for the decision were well aware of the impact they were causing. It was an act that not only targeted The Citizen but also served as a stark indicator of the level of anxiety and repression affecting policy-making circles at the time.

A famous quote by the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, who said, “No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free no one ever will…The only security of all is in a free press” came inevitably to my head.

Jefferson’s words show a crucial function of a free press: to act as a check on government power by scrutinizing and criticizing its actions. This scrutiny ensures that the government remains accountable to the people and that the public is well-informed about the government's conduct. An informed public, in turn, is better equipped to make decisions about how they wish to be governed.

In 2019, one did not require a PhD in Economics to understand that the Tanzanian shilling was depreciating against the Dollar. The Citizen’s coverage of this issue was straightforward and aimed at clarifying the situation for the public.

Whether the currency’s decline was a result of genuine economic factors or deliberate manipulation was a matter for the government to address. Instead of addressing the concerns raised by The Citizen, the government opted to "kill the messenger" and ignored the real problems and undermining the role of the press in a democratic society.

And, that was just one of the many instances where reporting on the economic situation was deemed a crime, much like any public criticism or complaint about economic hardships, popularly termed as Vyuma vimekaza at that time.

A critical analysis of the events that followed The Citizen’s suspension reveals that the decision was driven by some panicked government officials who, overly confident in their own knowledge, were unwilling to acknowledge their shortcomings.

It happened that the suspension, which began on February 28, 2019, was announced on the same day the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) announced a crackdown on foreign exchange shops in Dar es Salaam. In its statement, the BoT said it had exposed widespread illegal practices among forex shops, including breaches of procedures and regulations.

That was also the time when the BoT began revoking licenses for forex shops that were found to be violating the rules and instructed individuals in need of foreign exchange services to visit banks and other institutions, including those operated by the Tanzania Postal Corporation.

This turn of events suggests that The Citizen was penalized not for any actual misconduct, but for highlighting the government’s failures and the need for corrective action. The suspension seemed to be a reactionary move rather than a justified response to any specific fault in the newspaper’s reporting.

One must question: when did reporting on currency depreciation become a criminal offense? If such reporting were truly a crime, The Citizen would have faced repeated suspensions given the ongoing dollar shortage over the previous year. The suppression of media during the late President John Magufuli's tenure was so severe that it stifled critical reporting on economic issues.

Had this repression persisted to the current regime of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, current reporting on the rising value of the US Dollar relative to East African currencies, including the Tanzanian shilling, might never have emerged.

A recent revelation by the association of petroleum marketers that at some point they have been compelled to use the expensive Euro due to the limited availability of the Dollar – a situation propelled by monetary policies in the US - could not have been disclosed.

The censorship extended beyond The Citizen. Other publications like Mawio and MwanaHalisi faced similar repressive actions. For instance, MwanaHalisi was targeted for publishing an article that called for prayers for opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who had survived an assassination attempt. This period saw a restrictive control over news content, with only a select few determining what was considered acceptable.

Content deemed to challenge their authority or expose government shortcomings was branded as misleading or ethically violating. In some cases, media outlets preemptively announced their own suspensions to avoid government backlash.

In summary, while digital disruption has contributed to a decline in traditional media sales and viewership, the repressive measures of the fifth phase regime exacerbated these challenges. Media organisations, pressured by fear of retribution, began to self-censor, abandoning their role of holding the government accountable. Consequently, the media landscape became one of compliance rather than critique, leading to a noticeable shift in the content being published and broadcast.

A similar situation mirrored the actions of critical academics, civil society organisations (CSOs), and opposition politicians, who, out of fear for their safety, chose to silence their criticisms of the government. When many media organisations began to abandon their role as watchdogs and instead opted to singing praise songs for the government by avoiding any content that might provoke a reaction, the audience was quick to notice.

As a result, discerning readers, viewers, and listeners quickly perceived that the media was merely echoing the government's agenda, rather than fulfilling its essential role of scrutinising and holding those in power accountable.

Samuel Kamndaya is The Citizen’s News Editor, Email: [email protected]