Tanzania suspends news websites over ad referencing killings of dissidents | Tanzania | The Guardian
Last week, I wrote about the recent crackdowns on media and
opposition leaders in Tanzania spearheaded by President Samia Suluhu Hassan,
dashing hopes that the country might open up more following the death of former
president John Magufuli. This slide back into authoritarianism has continued
over this week, with the online operations of news provider Mwananchi
Communications being suspended for a month after it aired an advertisement that
drew attention to disappearances of anti-government figures. The advert was said
to be “likely to harm national unity and social peace” – a barely-veiled
indication that it was too critical of the president, and perhaps an omen that
these kinds of stories and statements will continue to face repercussions for
the foreseeable future.
The typology of censorship taught a few weeks back can help
us analyse the effect that this will have on the political and media environments
in Tanzania. Primarily, a ban such as this is an example of deterrence through fear:
media outlets, knowing that criticism of the regime could prevent them from
publishing or otherwise make their operations difficult, will likely avoid reporting
stories that they think will anger the government (thus creating a ‘chilling
effect’ on civil society discourse). In this way, a few high-profile instances
of direct censorship will often encourage other actors to self-censor. It also
creates a degree of friction: the fact that information about Suluhu’s
worst abuses of power may no longer be available in mainstream media makes it
more difficult for people within Tanzania to learn about them. They will have
to expend time and effort to access critical sources in a way that they did not
previously, and many will simply choose not to, decreasing the saliency of
disappearances and the like as a political issue.
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