“On social media, President Samia Suluhu is objectified simply because she is a woman president. Women journalists work tirelessly to cover her objectively. However, when politicians call for a press conference, social media influencers are given priority, while journalists are relegated to the backbenches,” recounted a woman journalist from Tanzania.
This was during a seminar for journalists from across Africa covering gender matters, convened by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International Idea) in Nairobi.
The journalist, whose identity we are protecting to avoid exposing her to repercussions, including cyberbullying, said social media users, including influencers, have increasingly become a threat to fair coverage of Ms Suluhu.
“The fact is that since she took office, she has introduced changes, such as allowing teenage mothers to return to school. However, some social media influencers have been used to spread rumours that she is a lesbian and that her marriage is broken. Unfortunately, people are more inclined to believe what they spread than what we report,” she said.
While women journalists in Tanzania struggle with the emerging threats of gendered misinformation and disinformation, in Botswana, an attempt to address violence against women politicians failed to take off because of a lack of funds.
In 2023, Democracy Works Foundation engaged an organisation running a toll-free helpline for people living with HIV to expand its services to include receiving complaints from women politicians facing violence both online and offline.*
Full article published by The Nation on 21 May 2025.
Image credits: The Nation