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Alert

ARTICLE 19 welcomes defamation proposals in media bill but urges reconsideration of regulatory moves

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 29 March 2007 ARTICLE 19 press release:

ARTICLE 19 welcomes Tanzanian defamation proposals but urges reconsideration of media regulation

ARTICLE 19 today released an analysis of the draft Media Services Bill of Tanzania. This Bill was published in March 2007, and is expected to be introduced in the Tanzanian Parliament in April of this year.

While ARTICLE 19 welcomes certain aspects of the Bill, such as the proposed new defamation regime and provisions on the protection of journalists' confidential sources, we are concerned that other parts are unnecessarily restrictive. We are particularly concerned at the proposed regime for the licensing of all journalists, and the registration regime for the media. Both go far beyond what international law accepts as legitimate, and will hinder rather than help the free flow of information in Tanzania.

ARTICLE 19's main recommendations include the following:
? The proposal that all journalists should hold a recognised professional or academic qualification and be licensed by a central body violates international law and should be removed from the draft Bill;
? The need for the proposed registration for the media regime should be reconsidered, particularly in light of the fact that most if not all mass media are already registered under Tanzanian company law. If a registration regime is nevertheless found to be necessary, it should apply to true mass media outlets only, be of a minimal nature and be administered by an independent body;
? The government should give self-regulation a chance to succeed for the print media at least, and refrain from introducing a statutory regime;
? The proposal that all publishers should lodge a cash bond should be abandoned.

Peter Noorlander, ARTICLE 19's Senior Legal Officer, said:

"Implementation of the defamation proposals in this Bill would bring Tanzania in line with international standards in this field. We thoroughly welcome them. We hope that the rest of the Bill is brought up to the same high standard, so as to promote the development of a pluralistic and high quality media that will deliver the public's right to know."

ARTICLE 19's Submission on the draft law is available at http://www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/tanzania-media-services-bill.pdf

ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works globally to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees free speech.