Press Releases
U.S. Government Supports Media Activities Aimed At Fighting Corruption in Tanzania
March 16, 2007
This month, approximately 70 media practitioners will benefit from media activities designed to increase reporting on good governance and raise awareness about the Public Expenditure Tracking System (PETS). Individuals involved will include media owners, managers, editors, and journalists at the senior and mid-level positions.
At the Courtyard Hotel on March 19 at 9:30 a.m., over 40 media owners, managers and editors will participate in a roundtable discussion aimed at discussing ways to collaborate on reporting and publishing articles related to corruption and good governance. Media stakeholders from various print and electronic media country-wide will participate. Two distinguished media stakeholders in the country will present papers:
Mr. Reginald Mengi, Chairman of the Media Owners Association (Moat) and Chairman of IPP will discuss “The Need for Editors and Media Owners to Cooperate and Collaborate to Investigate Business and Government,” and a presentation on “The Importance of and Role of Independent Media in a Democracy, particularly in Reporting on Corruption” will be made by Ayub Rioba, a Lecturer with the Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication (IJMC) and MISA-Tan Chairman.
From March 20-23 in Dodoma, 30 journalists will be trained on Investigative Journalism and Public Expenditure Tracking Systems (PETS). The training is expected to be an eye-opener for the journalists because they will acquire knowledge and skills to prepare feature and investigative stories related to PETS.
Both trainings are supported by the United States Government's Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by PACT in partnership with the Media Institute of Southern Africa.
Pact Tanzania Country Director Dan Craun Selka commented that MCA-BONGA aims to increase public participation in political decision-making by holding government accountable. “So far, more than 45 senior and mid-level journalists have been trained in Investigative Journalism and Reporting skills and they have been contributing to the media’s recent increased response to publicise issues of corruption and improve accountability of public institutions,” he said.
Pact’s MCA-BONGA seeks to contribute to the achievement of the Tanzania Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program by promoting community based activities to reduce corruption.
The Millennium Challenge Threshold Program is implemented with the full support and collaboration of the Government of Tanzania.