Mwananchi online back with a bang from ban

What you need to know:

  • Readers of Mwananchi newspaper’s online platforms must be grinning from ear to ear today as informative news return after serving a six-month  ban imposed by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).

Dar es Salaam. Readers of Mwananchi newspaper’s online platforms must be grinning from ear to ear today as informative news return after serving a six-month  ban imposed by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).
TCRA suspended the Mwananchi newspaper online  platforms content delivery licence on April 16, 2020 - and also slapped it with a Sh5 million fine for allegedly publishing misleading information that ostensibly caused confusion in society.    
The platforms are owned by the Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL), the publisher of  Mwananchi, The Citizen and Mwanaspoti newspapers, as well as Mwananchi Digital, which is an online TV.  Speaking during a “comeback ceremony” at MCL’s Tabata Relini   headquarters shortly before the ban was lifted, the company’s acting managing director, Mr Bakari Machumu, said all was set to feed the company’s websites and social networks with “the content that counts.”
Mr Machumu - who doubles as the MCL Executive Editor - added that the company had prepared itself well-enough to improve its content, including graphics.
According to him,  the Mwananchi web-site would continue to provide in-depth news analyses  with a view to satisfying readers .
“We are committed to becoming a hub of online news. To realise this goal , we are going to strongly adhere to ethics of journalism,”  Mr Machumu categorically stated.      
Since its inception over two decades ago, MCL - the leading print media company in Tanzania, with print and online platforms that  attract unrivalled readership in Tanzania and beyond - has been the “first with credible news” for people of all walks of life.
Admitting that  the six-month ban was overly long, Mr Machumu nonetheless said that a lot happened during the suspension period.
“Our absence for six months  denied our esteemed customers the opportunity to access reliable information,” said Mr Machumu.
 “We will do all that is in our power to prepare the past events package, putting it in the right context, and post is on our web-site.”
 MCL has over the years been educating, informing and entertaining its readerships using different media platforms in order to enrich the lives of people - and also empower them to create positive change in in society.