Setting the News Agenda : Women’s Influence and Status in Dar es Salaam’s Radio Newsrooms

Abstract: The widespread presence of radio in Tanzania suggests that the news being broadcasted nationally has a large public and political impact. In this thesis we examine what roles a few women journalists hold in Dar es Salaam’s radio newsrooms. Our research question concerns how these women journalists perceive their influence in the newsroom during the agenda setting process. We interviewed seven women journalists, who hold varying positions in different radio newsrooms in Dar es Salaam, concerning their perception of their own informal status in the office hierarchy. We then present and analyze key quotes from our respondents using Bourdieu’s theory of social fields and perspective on male domination, Hirdman’s stereotypical gender contract and a postcolonial feminist perspective. Our repondents told us of the importance of empowering other women at the editorial office as well as putting gender issues revolving women and girls on the news agenda. In this way they demonstrate the importance of a gender equal representation in the newsroom and in the news content. We come to the conclusion that our respondents do indeed perceive themselves to have influence over the news agenda and they use different strategies to gain status and recognition in the newsroom.