Speech of Kalisha Holmes, Spokesperson from U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam on the Role of the Media in Ensuring Credible Elections

[Roving Journalist]

Speech at MCT Stakeholders Conference on the Role of the Media in Ensuring Credible Elections

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests,

I bring you greetings on behalf of Ambassador Michael Battle, the U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania on this special occasion. He sends his deep regrets that he could not be here today, but he looks forward to coming to Dodoma for the World Press Freedom Day celebrations.

My name is Kalisha Holmes, and I am the spokesperson and press officer for the U.S. embassy. We are very happy to be partnering with the Media Council of Tanzania on the timely topic of the important role media plays in elections.

As both of our nations look forward to elections later this year, we have the opportunity to reflect on the essential role that media plays in safeguarding the legitimacy of our democratic processes.

In the U.S., we often refer to the media as “the fourth estate”. This is because, along with the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judiciary, media is the critical fourth leg of the stool that enables our democracy to flourish.

One of the great American figures in history, Frederick Douglass, once said "The press is at once the eye and the ear and the tongue of the people. It is the visible speech, if not the voice, of democracy." President Biden has called the free press “the protector of the people”.

Media has the important responsibility of keeping the public informed, so that citizens can make informed decisions, especially around the most sacred of our civic rights, which is the right to vote, the selection of our leaders through the election process.

The rise of digital media has brought about unprecedented access to information, but it has also brought new threats. We have entered an age where all citizens need to understand the importance of verifying information, and the trusted outlets you all represent here today play a critical role in developing and maintaining that trust with the public you serve. As we navigate these challenges, the importance of press freedom is ever more apparent. A free and independent media is our best defense against the manipulation of facts and the erosion of democratic values.

Vice President Kamala Harris has expressed that "democracy is not guaranteed. It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. To guard it, and to never take it for granted. And protecting our democracy takes struggle. It takes sacrifice. But there is joy in it".

I certainly feel joy being here with all of you today as I look out at a group that represents a cross-section of media, government and civil society leaders.

Thank you to each of you for your presence here today. Thank you again to the Media Council of Tanzania for your leadership in this space, and your partnership with us on this issue. I am looking forward to an insightful discussion today, and working together to chart a more fruitful partnership between all stakeholders in the media space, in support of freedom of information.

Kalisha Holmes, Spokesperson, U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam

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