“Be Careful and Watch it†: Examining the Battle between Executive, Parliament, and Media in Tanzania’s Extractive Industry Governance

Tanzania boasts a wealth of extractive resources, featuring large mineral deposits and notable natural gas reserves estimated at 57 trillion cubic feet. Effective governance structures, especially those emphasising transparency, are crucial for ensuring these resources provide advantages for both current and future generations. As the Fourth Estate, the news media play a pivotal role in overseeing the extractive industry governance. Nevertheless, it faces considerable political and legal obstacles that hinder its capacity to carry out this vital responsibility. This article explores the interactions between the Executive, Parliament, and the news media in Tanzania’s extractive sector, focusing on how the current political and legal frameworks limit news media reporting on extractive industry (EI) governance. Specifically, it examines how the actions and statements of the leaders in the executive branch and Parliament-approved legislative measures under the executive’s purview hinder journalists’ freedom and the news media’s ability to engage with issues surrounding the governance of the EI critically. This article posits that the efficacy of news media in performing its oversight function is contingent upon a political and legal landscape that fosters an environment conducive to critical reporting. The study gathered insights to illuminate these dynamics through document reviews and Key Informant Interviews (KII). The article highlights how the political and legal environment negatively impacts press freedom, especially regarding coverage of EI. Newspaper closures, threats from executives, and restrictive laws have led to self-censorship among journalists and their sources. This situation undermines news media and journalists’ ability to engage in extractive journalism effectively. This article enriches the dialogue surrounding news media freedom in Tanzania, highlighting the significant consequences of political and legal environments on the governance of the extractive industry.