Journalists Cautioned Against Misinformation, Hate Speech During Election

ARUSHA, TANZANIA – As a roundtable discussion of various media stakeholders continues in Arusha, Ernest Sungura, Executive Secretary of the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), has urged journalists to refrain from misinformation, disinformation, and the use of hate speech during the election period. Sungura made the remarks July 28, 2025, while officially opening a two-day conference held at the Lush Garden Hotel in Arusha.

Sungura, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the East African Media Councils (EAPC), a board member of the Network of Independent Media Councils of Africa (NIMCA), and Secretary General of the World Association of Press Councils (WAPC), emphasized the importance of journalists providing accurate information to the public to enable citizens to make informed decisions during elections.

This crucial conference, organized by the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) in collaboration with the International Media Support (IMS) and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), aims to discuss and combat the problem of misinformation and disinformation during elections. Key agenda items include establishing a stakeholder task force to address these issues and strengthening cooperation among media outlets, various election stakeholders, and the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).

Fausta Musokwa, Programme Manager for International Media Support (IMS), called on media organizations to designate specialized election journalists. She stated that this step would help build expertise in election reporting and prevent the dissemination of misinformation, disinformation, and hate-inciting content before, during, and after elections.

During a presentation by William Shao, Chief Executive Officer of the Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF), on editorial responsibilities and newsroom strategies during elections, the challenge of financial resource shortages for media outlets was highlighted. Contributing to this discussion, Engineer Andrew Kisaka from the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), advised media organizations to consider how to resolve this funding issue. He questioned, “If political parties receive subsidies to cover election expenses, why shouldn’t it be possible for media outlets? Unite and develop joint strategies to engage stakeholders, including the government and the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).”

The conference is being attended by representatives from various media organizations, including community radio stations, non-governmental organizations, government institutions such as TCRA, the Ministry of Information, St. Augustine University of Tanzania, the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), and International Media Support (IMS).

Discussions continue on July 29, 2025, and include topics such as preliminary findings from Research ICT Africa’s (RIA) research on electoral misinformation and disinformation, the role of fact-checking in promoting the integrity of electoral processes, and building multi-sector collaboration models to counter disinformation. Additionally, the conference will establish a rapid response team and draft a shared joint action plan to address incidents of misinformation.