Josephine Christopher is a senior business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers
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The Director General for Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), Dr Ayub Rioba, described the joint declaration as a historic moment for the country’s media fraternity.
Dar es Salaam. Leading media executives and editors across Tanzania have issued a joint commitment to ensure peace and professionalism in their coverage as the nation prepares for its general election on 29 October 2025.
Speaking under the umbrella of the Tanzania Editors’ Forum (TEF) in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, October 25, 2025, the media chiefs announced a united stand designed to ensure the media serves as a tool for stability—not division—during the sensitive election period.
The declaration comes amid mounting concern over social media campaigns calling for public unrest and riots.
The forum, which included the heads of major broadcasting and print outlets, stressed the critical need for responsible journalism in an increasingly charged digital environment, which they noted was marked by misinformation and incitement.
The Director General for Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), Dr Ayub Rioba, described the joint declaration as a historic moment for the country’s media fraternity.
“Ordinarily, one would expect us to be competitors, but this time, we have chosen unity,” he stated. “We held discussions and came to a shared resolution to promote peace and responsible journalism during the election period.”
He said that the decision followed extensive consultations among editors and proprietors who agreed that national peace and unity must take precedence over promoting unrest.
Chief Executive Officer of ITV, Radio One and Capital TV, Ms Joyce Mhaville further emphasised that the media’s role extends beyond simply informing the public; it involves actively preserving the peace.
“Many countries, including our neighbours Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and others such as Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Somalia and Sudan, still bear the scars of that 'Collective Madness',” she said. “Even where peace has returned, those scars remain as monuments of regret.”
Ms Mhaville attributed Tanzania's long-standing stability to the foundations laid by the nation’s founders and a culture of resolving differences through dialogue, noting that the country has historically been a safe haven for refugees fleeing war and political turmoil elsewhere.
“As Tanzanians, all of us must reject the invitation to the feast of incitement—one that seeks to intoxicate us with 'Collective Madness' which could tear our nation apart, as has happened elsewhere,” she warned.
The declaration comes as social media platforms have been inundated with calls for mass demonstrations following the elections. Security agencies have, however, warned that such campaigns, often run by anonymous or foreign-linked accounts, could be attempts to destabilise the country during the democratic process.
