The World Press Freedom Index complied annually by Reporters Without Borders ranks 180 countries on indicators such as media independence, self-censorship, the rule of law, transparency and abuses.
In its newly-compiled index for 2016, the international media watchdog and advocacy group said Tanzania ranked 71st this year compared to 75th a year earlier.
This puts the country ahead of global powers like Japan (ranked 72nd), Italy (77), Israel (101), Brazil (104), India (133), Russia (148), Turkey (151) and China (176).
Tanzania is also leading the way in the East African Community (EAC) bloc, followed by Kenya (95), Uganda (102), Burundi (156) and Rwanda (161), in that order.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Still, there is more that needs to be done to further enhance press freedom in the country despite the improved ranking, according to the Reporters Without Borders report.
"Tanzania has a history of violence against journalists. Two reporters have been killed since 2012, and dozens more have been attacked or threatened,” the report noted.
It also recalled that last year the country “passed laws making it illegal to publish any official data not approved by the government or any information online that the government deemed deceptive, misleading, or inaccurate."
“(The) introduction of the Access to Information Bill (allows) the government to prosecute journalists if it deems information they (publish) to be not in the public interest,” the report said, citing the “permanent” banning of a local weekly newspaper (Mawio) and detention of some of its editors in January this year.
The Cybercrimes Act was another controversial gagging law passed last year, and it has already been used as leverage to justify the recent suspension of a large chunk of foreign aid to the country.
The US government's Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) cited the Act alongside the disputed Zanzibar election as the main reasons behind its decision to cancel a $473 million (1 trillion/-) financial support package to Tanzania last month.
In light of public arrests made during the elections, the MCC said the Tanzanian government had "not taken measures to ensure freedom of expression and association are respected in the implementation of the Cybercrimes Act."
NEW ERA OF PROPAGANDA
On a global scale, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said all indicators showed that freedom of the press has largely deteriorated, especially in the Americas.
It also warned of "a new era of propaganda" as world leaders have developed “a form of paranoia about legitimate journalism."
"Numerous authorities are trying to regain control of their countries, fearing overly open public debate," said Christophe Deloire, the organization’s secretary general.
He added: "Today, it is increasingly easy for powers to appeal directly to the public through new technologies, and so there is a greater degree of violence against those who represent independent information."
"We are entering a new era of propaganda where new technologies allow the low-cost dissemination of their own communication, their information, as dictated. On the other side, journalists are the ones who get in the way."
The situation was particularly grave in Latin America, the report said, highlighting "institutional violence" in Venezuela and Ecuador, organised crime in Honduras, impunity in Colombia, corruption in Brazil, and media concentration in Argentina as the main obstacles to press freedom.
Among the lowest-ranked countries on the 2016 press freedom index were China (176th out of 180), Syria (177), North Korea (179) and last-placed Eritrea.
Japan slumped to 72nd due to what the report described as local media “self-censorship” when reporting on prime minister Shinzo Abe.
EUROPE
Meanwhile, Finland retained top spot for the sixth consecutive year, followed by the Netherlands and Norway.
While Europe remained the region with the highest levels of press freedom, Reporters Without Borders warned that the misuse of counter-terrorist and counter-espionage measures and conflicts of interest had put it on "a downhill course".
Poland fell a massive 29 places to 49th due to the country’s government seeking to restore Polish ownership of foreign-owned Polish media.
And France dropped seven places to 45th because "most of the private-sector national media are now owned by a handful of businessmen with interests in areas of the economy unrelated to the media."
Threats to journalists in Europe were linked to rising nationalism which saw death threats in Sweden (which dropped three places to 8th) and attacks on scribes during anti-Muslim rallies in Germany (down four spots to 16th).
"…It was in Paris that the attack on (the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine) took place on 7 January 2015, an attack masterminded from Yemen. So, Europe was also the victim of the world’s demons," read the report.
AFRICA
In Africa, a series of political crises and terrorism continued to erode press freedom.
South Sudan dropped 15 places to 140th due to intimidation of journalists during its civil war.
Efforts by presidents to stay in power in the Republic of Congo (115), Uganda (102) and Djibouti (172) "led to pre-election violence against journalists and harsh, government-orchestrated censorship of the media."
And "as a result of the president’s obstinacy in Burundi (156th), the leading independent media were destroyed, more than 100 journalists fled abroad, and Burundi fell 11 places in the index," said the report.
The terrorism-related menace of jihadist groups in Mali - where one group threatened to behead foreign journalists - and Nigeria led to a decline in press freedom in both countries.
But in at least one glowing example of press freedom on the continent, Namibia emerged as the best-ranking country at number 17.
"(Namibian) journalists are safe, its media landscape is diverse, and no restrictions are placed on the internet," the report noted
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