Bilal Aziz is a senior editor based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with over 13 years of experience in journalism. He has a Master's degree in Mass Communication from the University of Dar es Salaam and has held various positions including news editor and foreign editor. He has conducted over 1,000 interviews and authored over 1,000 news stories. Bilal has received professional training in the UK, US, and Tanzania covering topics such as print journalism, new media, business reporting, and investigative journalism.

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CURRICULUM VITAE
BILAL AZIZ
Senior Editor, based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
CONTACT DETAILS
Telephone:
(Mobile) +255713 598664
Email
bilal.abdulaziz@ymail.com
Physical Address
Mandela Expressway - Tabata,
Dar es Salaam

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PROFILE
Mr. Aziz, has over 13-year experience in active journalism. He has conducted over
1,000 interviews with different sources, ranging from commoners to high-profile
personalities; authored over 1,000 news stories and features; edited over 5,000 news
stories and subbed over 3,500 news stories, features and scripts.
He has served in various positions, including News Editor, Foreign Editor and now
Sub-Editor. Over the last 13 years, Mr Aziz has worked with Tanzania’s English
Language daily, The Guardian, as well as The Citizen, which is published by
Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL). He received his primary, secondary and
university education in Tanzania between 1979 and 2001 before travelling abroad in
2007 for professional training.
In 2005, he travelled to the US on invitation of the US’s State Department under the
International Visitors’ Programme, where he visited Washington DC, New York and
Atlanta, Georgia. And in 2007, he travelled to the UK, where he received advanced
journalism training and witnessed the migration from traditional to ‘media convergence’
mode of journalism at the Southern Daily Echo newspaper in Southampton, England.
Mr. Aziz currently holds a Master’s degree in Mass Communication he obtained from
the University of Dar es Salaam in March 2014. Noted for outstanding scholarship,
findings of his Master’s dissertation, entitled, ‘The Impact of New Media on Journalism
Practice in Tanzania’ was presented at the first International Media Conference
organised by the University of Dar es Salaam’s School of Journalism and Mass
Communication in 2014. His future career development plans include obtaining
further education in mass communication/journalism (PhD) and becoming a
leader/trainer in reputable media institutions.

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ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
2014: Master’s Degree (Distinction)
University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
2001: Bachelor Degree (with Honours)
University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
1992: Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education (ACSEE)
Minaki High School, Coast region, Tanzania
1989: Ordinary Certificate of Secondary Education (CSEE)
Lake Secondary School, Mwanza, Tanzania
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
2012-14: Masters – Mass Communication
University of Dar es Salaam
Modules:
 Writing for mass media production
 Communication theory
 Mass media research
 Gender, media and society
 Media in East Africa
 International media systems
 Media and development
 Development studies
 Media law and policies
 Mass media ethics
 New media technologies
 Media economics
2007: Diploma – Advanced Training in Print Journalism
Cardiff City, United Kingdom
Modules:
 News gathering, selection, research and writing
 Interviewing techniques

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 Structuring stories
 Feature writing
 Writing styles
 Subbing and writing headlines
 photojournalism
 Basic filming, writing to pictures and editing
 Writing stories for website, online media
 Team management
 The roles of the editor, the sub editor and the reporter
 Ethics, law and responsibility
 Issue-related modules, e.g. environment, health
 Specialist reporting, e.g. environment, health, investigative
 Produced an item for BBC Wales
2006: Business and Economic News Reporting
IMF, FitzPatrick Media of the US, Dar es Salaam
Modules:
 The basics of business and economic reporting
 Covering companies
 Covering the broad economy
 Covering commodities
 Using the Internet for business and economic reporting
 Business and economic reporting in developing economies
2005: Health News Reporting
University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Modules:
 The basics of health reporting
 Sources of health news reports
 Covering malaria
 Covering pandemics - HIV/Aids
 Covering TB
 Special ethics in health reporting
 Interviewing experts/doctors, patients
 Dealing with health and biological jargons

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2004: Basics of News Reporting in the 21st
Century
US’s University of Illinois professor conducted the course in Dar
Modules:
 Basics of news reporting for developing economies
 Reporting effectively in the 21st
Century
 Media as fourth pillar in a democratic state
2002/2003: Journalism - Print (In-House Training)
The Guardian Ltd Newsroom, Dar es Salaam
Modules:
 News gathering, selection, research and writing
 Interviewing techniques
 Structuring stories
 Sources of news stories
 Contacts – making, keeping and using them effectively
 Writing styles
 Ethics
 Adhering to the house style and editorial policy
 Basics of business and economic reporting
EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE
2010 to 2012: Sub Editor – THE GUARDIAN
2012 to date: Sub Editor – THE CITIZEN
Summary of Responsibilities:
 Checking and correcting raw copies from the field for facts, accuracy, taste,
house style, language use, clarity, details and objectivity
 Editing stories to fit in allocated space while keeping the original meaning,
i.e. maintaining the message as accurately as humanly possible
 Re-writing some copies for simplicity, clarity and style, where
necessary
 Writing headlines that capture readers’ eyes without overriding the
message of the story
 Writing news analyses
 Editing captions
 Writing editorials

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2009 to 2010: News Editor – THE GUARDIAN
Summary of Responsibilities:
 Overseeing the newspaper’s entire news content in part by guiding
the morning editorial conference
 Routinely updating the News Dairy by liaising with staff reports,
correspondents and other units, senior editors or departments
 Guiding reporters and correspondents in generating and
meaningfully following up news ideas/hints as well as keeping track
of the former
 Assigning reporters by clearly telling them what is expected of each
in terms of amount and quality of input, and the need to abide by the
newspaper’s editorial policy
 Briefing the mid-morning editorial conference [attended by senior
editors and heads of sections] on the news content expected for the
day
 Supervising the performance of reporters by ensuring that they
complete and submit publishable copies by the newspaper’s deadlines
 Supervising Certificate, Diploma and Degree students doing their
internships; Writing their fieldwork recommendations
 Briefing the afternoon editorial conference on the news content in
hand, recommending which make the front page and explaining why
particular stories are missing
 Routinely keeping the newspaper’s editor posted on developments at
the News Desk
 Carryout interviews with senior officials
 Covering major national, regional and international conferences
 Covering Parliament sessions
 Covering major and historic news conferences
2006 to 2008: Chief Reporter/Assistant News Editor – THE GUARDIAN
Summary of Responsibilities:
 Assisting the News Editor in overseeing the newspaper’s entire news
content in part, including guiding the morning editorial conference
 Routinely updating the News Dairy by liaising with staff reports,
correspondents and other units, senior editors or departments

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 Guiding reporters and correspondents in generating and
meaningfully following up news ideas/hints as well as keeping track
of the former
 Assigning reporters by clearly telling them what is expected of each
in terms of amount and quality of input, and the need to abide by the
newspaper’s editorial policy
 Supervising the performance of reporters by ensuring that they
complete and submit publishable copies by the newspaper’s deadlines
 Supervising Certificate, Diploma and Degree students doing their
internships
 Carryout interviews with senior officials
 Covering major national, regional and international conferences
 Covering Parliament sessions
 Covering major and historic news conferences
 Writing stories on my own initiative
2006: Acting Foreign Editor – THE GUARDIAN
Summary of Responsibilities:
 Selecting news stories from international news agencies relevant to
the readers of the newspaper
 Selecting pictures and editing their captions to meeting editorial
objectives and standards
 Reviewing in editorial meetings foreign stories for next day’s issue
 Editing foreign stories to align them to the newspaper style
 Following up top news stories on electronic media for quick updating
of some stories where necessary
2004 to 2005: Senior Reporter – THE GUARDIAN
Summary of Duties:
 Looking for news ideas from different sources
 Researching for better news ideas and for deepening understanding
of current affairs, especially top news stories
 Carrying out investigations on major issues of national and
international interests
 Writing stories on my own initiative
 Carryout interviews with senior officials
 Covering major national, regional and international conferences
 Covering Parliament sessions

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 Covering major and historic news conferences
 Translating stories, adding facts to incomplete reports/stories
 Guiding students on their internships in the newsroom and at various
assignments outside the office
2002 to 2003: Reporter – THE GUARDIAN
Summary of Duties:
 Looking for news ideas from different sources
 Researching for better news ideas and for deepening understanding
of current affairs
 Carrying out investigations and assisting Senior Journalists in their
investigations on major issues of national and international interests
 Covering all news events such as press conferences, workshops,
forums and seminars
 Writing stories from press conferences, workshops, forums, seminars,
and from own initiatives
 Carryout interviews
 Accompanying students on their internships to various assignments
outside the office
INDEPENDENT WORK/CONSULTANCY
2011 to date: Editor – SUPPLEMENTS DESK, THE GUARDIAN
Summary of Duties/Responsibilities:
 Overseeing the Supplements’ entire news content
 Guiding reporters and correspondents in generating stories for the
pullouts
 Assigning reporters and correspondent by clearly telling them what is
expected of each in terms of amount and quality of input, and the
need to abide by the newspaper’s editorial policy
 Editing articles and pictures
 Subbing articles, writing headlines and photo captions

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2011: Editor –DAWASA INFOMATION HANDOUT
Summary of Duties/Responsibilities:
 Sourcing information for generating articles for the handout
 Editing articles, selecting pictures and writing captions
 Preparing the content as well as the final layout ready for publication
2009: Editor –THE TANZANIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT, 2009
Summary of Duties/Responsibilities:
 Putting together different sub-reports
 Editing the report ready for publication and circulation to
stakeholders
 Editing pictures and writing captions
2009 - 2010:
Media Consultant – IRISH AID/HAKIELIMU
Summary of Duties/Responsibilities:
 Sourcing information from the field
 Liaising with officials of the Irish Aid in Dar and in Dublin in the
process of preparing the draft and final article and report
 Sharing findings of the research
 Filming interviews and other events
 Editing videos and audios documenting findings of the research
OTHER RELEVANT TRAINING
2007: Reporting in Hostile Environment (Reuter’s Thomson Foundation)
Hereford, Wales, United Kingdom
2006: Investigative Journalism (US Embassy)
Unguja, Zanzibar, Tanzania
2006: Covering HIV/Aids issues (Tacaids)
Bagamoyo, Coast region, Tanzania

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PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP
 Tanzania Union of Journalists (TUJ)
 The Sub Editors and Producers Development Centre
 News Star Media Organisation