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This is a great moment for us at Mwananchi Communications Limited, a leading media house in Tanzania. It’s a time for us to look back on the aspirations, challenges, and achievements we have made in the remarkable growth and development of private media in this country. The mere fact that we are still around 10 years later confirms that we are, indeed, doing something right and are determined to forge ahead and make a difference in a country that not too long ago embraced free enterprise.
We are particularly happy to be a part of the Nation Media Group (NMG), a solid media enterprise that only in March, had its own lavish celebrations, marking its golden jubilee.
The NMG has a significant presence in East Africa. As the Founder and Principal shareholder of NMG, His Highness the Aga Khan believes its news and information outlets have a pivotal role to play in the development of the countries in which it operates. That is his commitment in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and elsewhere in the East African region.
The $4 million investment in the brand new press we are commissioning today is a vote of confidence in Tanzania. This press, besides enabling us to print quality newspapers that are certainly the best in this part of the world, has the speed to print quickly enough for us to reach our markets, including those in far-flung areas, in time.
As His Highness the Aga Khan, pointed out during the Group’s 50th anniversary celebrations, “there is no doubt that relations between governments and the media are central to the future of Africa,
challenging and even exasperating as that experience at times may be.” We, at MCL, are a patriotic and loyal media house whose real goal is to help our country develop its full potential. We not only create jobs for journalists and other personnel, but also pay taxes and honour employees’ statutory obligations. Through our indirect links with suppliers and providers of other services, we are contributing to enhancing to national development.
And we couldn’t agree more with The Aga Khan that being independent is not the same thing as being oppositional. As he rightly put it, “truly independent media cannot be predictably partisan, narrowly politicised nor superficially personalised.”
We have demonstrated in our truly professional conduct that we value our freedom and independence, tenets that afford us an opportunity to point out wrongs and seek to influence change in society, and not for any clique or partisan interest but for the good of the country as a whole.
This belief is anchored in our recognition of the influential power of a free Press in a modern society. The Group, to which we belong, recognises that Freedoms of Speech and of the Press are basic elements of any democracy or an emerging democracy.
We continue to cherish the highest tenets in the basic practice of journalism. This is why we always do our best to ascertain and verify the truth before we publish. And like other responsible media, where we have got it wrong, it has not been out of malice and we have always taken the earliest opportunity to publish a correction.
Our journalism is thus driven by a genuine service to our society that entails objective and generally constructive criticism of any group or person, action or policy. Our editors ensure that such criticism is well founded, based on a full and accurate assessment of the issue, and offered in the interests of the public.
As we continue to nurture our journalism through training and exposure to best practices, we wish to reiterate that we aspire to the lofty ideals of ethical journalism. Our reporters and editors have a duty to maintain the highest and professional and ethical standards. Ours is a journalism that is pure and devoid of graft.
The MCL, as a business, has no zero tolerance for corruption and ensures full compliance with our tax and other regulatory obligations. As a responsible media house guided by world-class policies and standards, we ensure that not only journalists and managers, but also other employees uphold best practices in carrying out their duties.
As we go forward, we shall continue to build on these pillars so that we can continue to excel as a media house and also as a business.
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