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• CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: TMF-LEAT FELLOWSHIP 2014
  January 27, 2014

  Are you a senior journalist and an editor looking for a new exciting challenge? Are you tired of taking a back seat, reading mediocre stories and not being able to get your voice heard on issues of national interest?

  Are you ambitious, patriotic and passionate enough to take on a new challenge on Extractive Industries specialization and learning from expert local and international experts, policy makers, think tanks and analysts?

  Do you want to be part of something greater than yourself through your profession to promote domestic accountability through reporting on issues of public interest? Are you willing to devote four months of your time to investigate and report on opportunities, challenges, benefits and impact the oil, gas and minerals sector have in Tanzania and how Tanzanians can benefit sustainably?

  If your answer is yes, welcome to 2014 TMF-LEAT Extractive Industries Fellowship.

  Deadline for applications is February 4, 2014. For more information about the Fellowship and application criteria click here.

• TMF CONTENT ANALYSIS MADE PUBLIC
  November 22, 2013

  What defines quality in reporting is the content of your story. TMF’s objective is, among others, to increase the quality of reporting in Tanzania. Through mentorship and practical experience, TMF grantees have the opportunity to work on their skills as journalists. But does this TMF intervention really have an effect on the quality of reporting? In the second half of 2013, TMF analyzed the work of its recent Rural Dispatch grantees, Rapid Release grantees and Fellows and compared their work to that of Tanzanian journalists who had not received TMF funding.

  The results of the content analysis show an overall trend of Fellows performing best, followed by rural dispatch, rapid release and finally non-TMF journalists. In some areas, such as sourcing, the differences are impressive: against 33% single sourcing for non-TMF grantees, TMF grantees have only 8% single sourcing. The focus on ordinary citizens and rural areas also clearly tells: 72% of TMF’s stories show an ordinary citizen perspective against 23% for the non-TMF control group, and 80% has a rural focus against a 70% urban focus for the non-TMF control group.

  These findings are helpful to everyone in the Tanzanian media industry trying to improve the quality of journalistic work. Please find out more about the content analysis report here.

• TMF KEEN TO TRANSFORM MEDIA HOUSES
  May 6, 2013

  The Tanzania Media Fund has expressed its readiness to cooperate with media houses in developing creative business models to enable media institutions to transform their operations so that they generate high quality media products.

  In his motivation remarks during the commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day in Arusha on May 3, 2013, the Director of TMF, Ernest Sungura, said TMF was equally willing to formulate strategic plans to see media institutions through growth and development.

  The Director challenged media owners to do soul-searching as to whether their media houses were highly appreciated by readers, viewers or listeners but had a weak professional approach or whether they had credible journalists and editors but were still unable to generate enough revenue.

  “You should go further by asking yourselves whether your media houses have existed long enough but still produce poor quality media products; whether they were alleged to lack editorial independence or lacking in organizational and financial capacity,” asked Mr. Sungura.

  He told the media stakeholders that TMF had established a transformation grant worth Tanzanian shillings 200 million for each media house, explaining that the amount was, however limited to 24 media houses until 2015.

  However, the director was quick to caution that the number one qualification for the transformation grant was not the money itself but that the applicants should be motivated by the transformation or structural change they wanted to bring about.

  “Use this gathering today to identify at least one structural obstacle that hinders quality journalism in your media house and that should be your motivation. It is no secret that when we transform our internal capacities, our media will stand firm and be enabled to do its rightful duty of serving and consequently transforming society,” he expounded.

  Mr. Sungura said the move would also go a long way to creating safer working conditions and enabling environment for journalists and editors to exercise freedom of the press.

  Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Secretary General of the East African Community, Dr Richard Sezibera, called on media stakeholders to invest in the promotion of peace in Tanzania and the entire region.

  “I urge all media practitioners to ensure the promotion of peace in the region. Invest in peace in Tanzania. It is possible to have vibrant debates, divergent views and acute differences but with harmony.

  “Invest in telling our own stories. For so long our region and the entire continent has been defined by others. Let us tell our own stories and tell the stories right. Desist from quoting CNN as your sources when you can tell the story from the ground,” Dr Sezibera advised.

  Over 200 media stakeholders attended the two-day commemoration that was punctuated by presentations and brainstorming under the theme: Safer and better working environment for journalists in East Africa. Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda sent representatives. Members of the diplomatic corps from the Swiss and Swedish embassies also attended the event.

• TMF MEDIA PUBLIC PERCEPTION SURVEY
  April 17, 2013

  TMF believes that good quality journalism and an independent media contribute to an increase in domestic accountability through creating an informed public. In order to find out more about the current public opinion about the media in Tanzania, TMF commissioned a media public perception survey in the last quarter of 2012. The survey questioned 2000 ordinary citizens and 200 community decision makers about their perceptions of the media.

  Overall,the public feels that the Tanzania’s media sector is growing and improving over time. The media sector is serving a news-hungry public that wants the media to keep those in positions of power accountable. However, the public perception survey also points to perceptions of shortcomings in the media, both in terms of the content it provides to the public and the quality of the services it provides. For example, citizens feel that politics is overrepresented in the Tanzanian media, while they are more interested in stories related to health and education. In terms of quality of the media, people were least positive about the quality of newspapers, followed by television. Radio was most appreciated. Nevertheless, even radio is felt to have ample room for improvement in terms of their professionality and diversity of content.

  The findings of the public perception survey serve to guide TMF’s strategy in the coming years, but TMF also encourages others to use this information when planning their media programmes or interventions.

  Full Media Public Perception Survey Report.

   

• TMF UNVEILS MEMBERS OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE
  February 25, 2013

  The Tanzania Media Fund has an eight-strong team of Advisory Committee members with Ms Pili Mtambalike as the chairperson and Mr. Alloyce Komba as the vice chairperson. According to the Director of TMF, Mr. Ernest Sungura, the members were selected on grounds of their independence on how they operate, availability of time, originality of thought, ability to express oneself clearly and decisively and experience and knowledge in their particular sectors. The key tasks of the committee include advising on strategic issues like development, positioning and sustainability of TMF and also to review and advise on the Fund’s semi and annual reports and plans.

  Ms Pili Mtambalike, as the chairperson of the committee, brings to TMF vast experience in journalism and legal issues. She is a founder member of the Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA) and its first secretary general for the first six years of its formation in 1987. Ms Mtambalike has also worked as a Communication Officer with UNICEF and the UNDP country offices in Dar es Salaam. She is currently the Regulations and Standards Manager of the Media Council of Tanzania.

  The vice chairperson Mr. Alloyce Komba, a trained teacher and lawyer, is a seasoned journalist with 10 years as a fulltime practicing journalist in print media and 10 years as a media critic, trainer, facilitator and consultant. He is currently employed as a Principal Investigation Officer at the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG) since 2006 and is an advocate of the High Court of Tanzania since 2010.

  Mr. Aidan Eyakuze who is a co-founder of Serengeti Advisers – a consultancy firm based in Dar es Salaam with expertise in banking, economic, public policy analysis, media and communications and corporate finance, is a member of the committee. Also on board as a member is Mr. Prudence Kaijage who has broad experience as a development worker with a background of having been the Principal of the Tanzania Centre for Development Cooperation (TCDC) in Arusha.

  A mentor with TMF in the formative years, Ms Vicky Ntetema also sits in the advisory committee to share her vast experience in the electronic media from the then Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam and later the BBC. The other members are Mr. Ernest Sungura (Director of TMF), Ms Will Janssen (Hivos Regional Office – Kenya), Ms Marjan Besuijen (Hivos – Netherlands) and Ms Sonya Elmer (SDC – Dar es Salaam).

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