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U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Mark Green confers the 2008 Dr. Martin Luther King Drum Major Award to Reginald Mengi, Chairman of the Media Owners Association of Tanzania (MOAT), and Executive Chairman of IPP limited. (Photo credit: Khalfan Said)

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U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Mark Green confers the 2008 Dr. Martin Luther King Drum Major Award to Reginald Mengi, Chairman of the Media Owners Association of Tanzania (MOAT), and Executive Chairman of IPP limited. (Photo credit: Khalfan Said)

Conferral of the 2008 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Award upon Mr. Reginald A. Mengi

Location: U.S. Embassy

January 30, 2008

Remarks by Ambassador Mark Green

Waheshimiwa Wageni Waalikwa (Hon invited guests)

Previous recipients of the Drum Major for Justice Award award: Honorable Rashid Mfaume Kawawa

Mama Justa Mwaituka

Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim

Professor Geoffrey R.V. Mmari

Honorable Joseph Sinde Warioba

The many representatives of the Press, and of Non- Governmental Organizations

Mabibi na Mabwana (Ladies and Gentlemen)

Karibu kwenye Ubalozi wa Marekani! (Welcome to the American Embassy)

I’m not sure we’ve hosted a more distinguished group of Tanzanians here . . . your presence alone is an honor to the memory of Dr. King. Thank you for coming!

The Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice Award aims to pay tribute to one of America’s most revered leaders, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King’s commitment to equality and justice for all Americans shaped the Civil Rights movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. Through his leadership, service, and clarity of vision, he changed my nation forever

Americans pay tribute to Dr. King and celebrate his life because he was a true champion for justice and equality. As a young Baptist Minister in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. King was geographically in the center of the boycotts and protests that engulfed our nation in the Civil Rights Movement.

He was urged to accept the presidency of the newly formed Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which was at the forefront of the movement for equality.

However, like so many of history’s greatest leaders, Dr. King did not ask for this role. He didn’t seek out the role of leading the turbulent civil rights movement because the movement was not about him, but about a cause he believed in . . . a cause he believed was inherently right and just and moral.

But he stepped forward to accept the helm of the movement because he had to . . . because in his heart he knew he couldn’t stand by while there was injustice in the land that he loved so dearly.

And once he stood up to lead, despite all the hardship and danger and sacrifice, he never gave up the fight – a battle not just for equality in the Southern US and not just for black Americans, but for the entire nation and for all people, and for the dream that we all have for America.

Because he drew the world’s attention to racial inequalities in America, Dr. King’s life was threatened, his home was bombed, and he was arrested and jailed many times. He didn’t turn to violence; instead, he remained a tireless champion for justice through peaceful protest until April 4, 1968, the day he was assassinated in Memphis.

But in the most important way, he lives on, and his cause lives on. As he once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” He was never silent . . . and his life and death remind us that we can never be silent as long as injustice exists.

Today, in particular, I want to remind everyone of the vital role the media in those days played in the fight for equality.

Thanks to active journalists, Americans who were geographically far away from the injustices of the Southern states were never very far away in terms of their thoughts and their collective conscience.

When they opened their papers, they saw photos of Civil Rights leaders staging peaceful sit-ins. When they tuned in on the radio, they heard that police were abusing peaceful protestors. And when they turned on their television sets, they watched Dr. King deliver his moving speeches . . . among the most moving, most inspiring words Americans have ever encountered.

Could Dr. King have succeeded, could the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s have succeeded, without the work of these journalists?

Thank God, we never had to find out! Through the media, Americans from all corners realized and understood that it was time for change -- and that change was coming.

During the Civil Rights movement, Freedom of the Press was tested all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1964, a full page advertisement in The New York Times accused an Alabama official of abusing non-violent protestors, including Dr. King. Even though some of the charges were exaggerated, the Supreme Court decided The Times did not commit libel by accusing the official publicly.

Their reasoning? The Court said it considered the case “against the background of a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust and wide-open.”

They decided that “public debate may well include vehement and sometimes sharp attacks on government and public officials.”

It’s the same all over, isn’t it? In order to make change and to seek justice -- in America, in Tanzania, and throughout the world -- we must call officials to be accountable.

And that call can be unpleasant. It can be caustic, and it is often vehement. Personally, I’ve been there . . . on both sides of the journalist’s pen.

Years ago, my grandfather and great-grandfather ran newspapers, and I’ve been a journalist myself. I’ve also been an elected politician. When it comes to public debate surrounding public officials and public causes, I’ve delivered and I’ve received.

(By the way, delivering is more fun!)

But what is clear to me, and to my fellow Americans, and to an increasing number of Tanzanians, is that when the debate is on public issues, it must be wide open and free. Everyone must have the opportunity to be involved. And oftentimes that opportunity can come only through the media.

On this special day, I would like to recognize the presence of Mr. Tegambwage and Mr. Kubenea from Mwana Halisi newspaper.

Media worldwide is all too often the target of retaliation by those who feel threatened by freedom of expression and government transparency.

Journalists are often the first to uncover corruption, to report from the front lines, and to highlight missteps by those in positions of trust and power. If the voiceless are to have their voice, then citizens and their elected leaders must speak out for the protection of journalists and their vital role.

I am proud to say that Tanzania is not alone as it seeks to foster an environment conducive to responsible journalism.

America has been, and will be, a partner in trying to support the effort of journalists here.

We have embarked on an ambitious journalists’ training program in Tanzania to improve the quantity and quality of investigative news stories on corruption.

We have brought internationally-renowned journalists to Tanzania, who worked closely with local journalists to develop and polish their investigative stories. We have also sent Tanzanian journalists to the US for the same type of training.

As a result of the training, at least in part, we have seen a huge increase in the number of stories written about corruption. In the print media, where there were formerly about 20 stories per month on corruption, there are now more than 136 stories per month.

Some of these stories are in-depth pieces that show a high level of research, talent, and commitment to seeking the truth – the kind of stories that bring honor to the profession of journalism.

But training doesn’t mean much, in fact freedom of the press doesn’t mean much, unless journalists work for editors and publishers and media houses that support their cause and share their goals.

Which brings us to this day and this event. For you see, there is no greater champion for a free press in Tanzania, for a press that calls to account any who tamper with the principles of a free and just society, than Mr. Reginald Mengi.

This year, we are thrilled to confer the Dr. Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice Award upon Mr. Mengi, Chairman of the Media Owners Association of Tanzania, for his work in promoting responsible and accountable journalism, and more importantly, in advancing investigative journalism in this country.

Through his own media houses, Mr. Mengi has empowered journalists to investigate corruption and abuses in a historic way.

His media houses have shone a bright light on injustices. Because, as Dr. King wrote in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

The bold journalism Mr. Mengi has championed undoubtedly promotes a more equitable society. And as Chairman of the Media Owners Association of Tanzania, Mr. Mengi has promoted responsible journalism not only at his own media outlets, but across all of Tanzania’s media.

Just as Dr. King used his position of great influence to bring change to a society hungry for equality and justice, so has Mr. Mengi sought to stamp out corruption in the name of justice for the Tanzanian people.

By encouraging their stories to be researched and told, Mr. Mengi is giving a voice to those Tanzanians who have suffered injustices in silence.

By providing the public with access to credible information, he is giving the mwananchi (citizens) the ability to participate fully in their democracy.

In this way, Mr. Mengi is working for the very same causes championed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is my honor to congratulate him for his important work.

Dr. King would be proud!

Thank you all for being here today, and thank you Mr. Mengi for accepting this prestigious award.

Asanteni sana.