Tanzania Gov’t Launches Online Smear Campaign Against CNN’s Larry Madowo
CNN journalist Larry Madowo was forced to give an explanation on Sunday, December 7, following claims that he had been sponsored to engage in a smear campaign against Tanzania.
The outspoken journalist resorted to social media to criticize photographs circulating online.
The deep fakes stated that he was linked to significant forces who are purportedly plotting to cripple Tanzania economically through the recently ended October 29 elections.
“I haven’t been paid by anyone to tarnish anyone’s name. Bongo has failed to defend themselves against my recent report, and they’ve now decided to attack me with lies,” Madowo said on Sunday.
Hapa kazi tu pic.twitter.com/39tjrOCsu4
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) December 7, 2025
“Instead of correcting anything in the report, they are using insults and rumours that I have met with people,” he continued.
The CNN journalist insisted that AI images are being used to tarnish his name, and urged users to be keen.
Madowo has gained notoriety in neighboring Tanzania in recent months, particularly following his tell-all documentary on the East African country’s post-election chaos.
The video claimed that there was a mass burial site where protesters and police brutality victims were buried to conceal the scale of the killings.
Madowo had previously claimed on social media that he attempted to report from Tanzania on the polls but was denied journalistic credentials, rendering him unable to enter the country as a journalist.
Initially, the renowned journalist earned unexpected support from Tanzanian residents, who praised his work in publicizing their misery during the contentious elections, in which Samia Suluhu won virtually unchallenged.
However, in recent weeks, several Tanzanians appeared to have turned against the journalist.
This came after images emerged on social media appearing to suggest Madowo was in cohorts with controversial activist Maria Sarungi, who is one of the fiercest critics of Suluhu’s regime.
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The images doing rounds on social media, purporting that Madowo was in a meeting with Sarungi, were AI generated.
Despite an online backlash from Tanzanians, Madowo has remained committed to his documentary, claiming that the Tanzanian government has done little to refute the facts in his report.
Meanwhile, Suluhu is under increasing pressure, with the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee calling for an impartial inquiry into alleged human rights breaches in the East African nation during the October 29 elections.
Tanzania has subsequently replied, announcing that it will convene a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the reported post-election violence and issue a complete report on the matter.
Tanzania Gov’t Launches Online Smear Campaign Against CNN’s Larry Madowo
