Perceptions on the Performance of Media against Corruption in Tanzania: A Survey of Ubungo Municipality Residents in Dar es Salaam

Abstract

The media play significant roles as a vigilant guardian of the public interest and as an influential pillar of society, encompassing the responsibility of actively opposing and unequivocally condemning acts of corruption. The extent to which the media provides coverage of a particular subject might impact individuals' perception of its significance or insignificance. This paper presents part of the findings of the research titled Perceptions on the Performance of Media against Corruption in Tanzania: A survey over Ubungo Municipality residents in Dar es Salaam. The study was guided by social responsibility theory and meaning and construction theory. The study relied on a total of 110 respondents. These comprised 100 randomly sampled Ubungo residents and 10 key informants who were purposively selected from the media profession and comprised senior public relations experts. Data captured through the questionnaire were analysed using the SPSS package, whereby results were presented in frequencies and percentages and illustrated in graphs, while qualitative data were analysed using content analysis and presented using verbatim statements and reported speech. The study found that the majority of the surveyed Ubungo residents do not consider the media in Tanzania to play a role in exposing corrupt practices in the country. The study further found that laxity and complicity of corruption news complicate effective corruption reporting, hence undermining the role of the media in the war against corruption. This paper recommends that more studies be carried out on the area that has not been adequately researched and holds the potential to improve the role of the media in the fight against corruption.