Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE government has called on politicians across the country to use the media responsibly to build their credibility ahead of the October 29th General Election.
In an effort to uphold peace and stability nationwide, political leaders have been urged to avoid hate speech that could trigger conflicts. Instead, politicians, including parliamentary aspirants, are expected to promote development policies outlined in their parties’ election manifestos to attract voters.
Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Professor Palamagamba Kabudi made the remarks yesterday in Dar es Salaam, during a special meeting with media stakeholders focused on election reporting.
He stressed the importance of politicians, especially candidates for parliamentary and presidential seats, using newspapers, television and radio to familiarise voters with their development agendas and visions for the country.
“Politicians should leverage media platforms to build a positive image,” Prof Kabudi said. “Use this opportunity to detail your development policies rather than dehumanising others.”
He added that such responsible use of media would clarify party manifestos and strengthen democracy. Prof Kabudi also stressed the need for journalists to uphold ethical journalism by reporting factual news, avoiding favoritism and rejecting bribes, noting that corruption can undermine public trust in the media.
He said that the meeting served as a reminder for reporters and media outlets to maintain high journalistic standards, while combating misinformation and disinformation, which today spread at unprecedented speeds.
On his part, Chief Government Spokesperson and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Gerson Msigwa said the training session was part of ongoing government efforts to ensure media plays a full role in the election by providing accurate information.
He reminded participants on the challenges posed by information disorders, including misinformation and disinformation generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI), which the meeting addressed to equip journalists with tools to counter these issues.
The meeting brought together reporters, editors, media owners and police officers from the Eastern Zone, covering Dar es Salaam, Coast Region and Mtwara regions as well as participants from Zanzibar.
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