Zanzibar Newspaper Corporation (ZNC)

Zanzibar Newspaper Corporation (ZNC) is a state-run publisher that runs Zanzibar Leo newspaper.


Media assets

Publishing: Zanzibar Leo

Radio: Radio Tanzania Zanzibar (RTZ)

State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)


Ownership and governance

ZNC was established through a 2008 law. According to this law, ZNC’s managing editor is appointed by the President of the Zanzibar Government. ZNC’s board of directors consists of seven members that are appointed by government officials (including the President) or are themselves public servants (director of the government department of information, and the state attorney). The board also includes the managing editor of ZNC.

Source of funding and budget

ZNC generates funding from sales of newspapers and advertising, but the bulk of its budget comes from a government grant, according to local journalists. There is no publicly available information about its detailed annual budget.

Editorial independence

ZNC closely follows the government’s line as stipulated in the 2008 act that established the corporation. The corporation’s main newspaper Zanzibar Leo was fully incorporated in ZNC when the new corporation was created in 2008.

There is no internal statute and no independent assessment/oversight mechanism in charge of validating the independence of Zanzibar Leo.

October 2023