Journalists and editors in Tanzania have singled out advertisers as one of the key forces that stifle press freedom in the country.

The journalists and editors said that advertisers use their financial muscle to demand for only positive press coverage of their activities.

Several media houses have faced the wrath of government and its officials. Some of them have resorted to tighter self-censorship to survive.

A Tanzanian journalist, Jabir Idrissa has termed the newly passed Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations as a big setback to press freedom saying it is meant to hide a lot of information from the public.