Content
John Kamya: "Rethinking Police-Media Relations"
Adolf Mbaine: "Bimeeza Revisited"
John Baptist Wasswa: "The Actor-Broadcaster, Riots and the Future"
Allan Ssekamatte: "What Media Guides for 2011"
Gawaya Tegulle & Moses Sserwanga: "Making Sense of the Proposed Media Laws: Two Perspectives"
Ann Mugunga: "Depth Reporting Takes Flight - When the Media do not Interrogate the Issues"
Haruna Kanabi: "A Case for Self Regulation in Uganda"
Denis Jjuuko: "Twittering the 2011 Elections"
Benon Oluka: "Watching over the Watchdog"
Foreword
Early in 2011 the Ugandan people will be called to vote in the
Parliamentary and Presidential elections, the fourth elections after
the promulgation of the 1995 constitution and only the second
under the new multiparty dispensation. The media has a crucial
role to play in this process - before, during as well as after the
elections - since they provide information for the voters and help
creating transparency in the electoral process.
Only informed citizens can effectively practice their democratic
rights, and a pre-condition for an informed choice of the voters is
a free and vibrant media landscape. The media provide a platform
for the people to get to know the available alternatives and learn
about the different candidates and what they stand for. At the
same time, the candidates and parties competing for power can
actively use this platform for reaching out to the voters and getting
their messages across.
However, for the media to effectively fulfill their democratic role,
particularly during times of election, a number of challenges have
to be managed. This includes ensuring responsible conduct of
journalists and adherence of basic principles and quality standards
in reporting, as well as promoting a free environment for objective
reporting and working on a constructive relationship between the
media and political actors and state agencies.
Promoting an independent and professional media is an important
component of the work of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in
Uganda. KAS has been active in the country for more than three
decades in the areas of promoting democracy, good governance,
human rights and the rule of law. In light of our approach of
providing support to local initiatives and cooperating with
indigenous organizations in Uganda, a strong long-term partner
like the Uganda Media Development Foundation (UMDF) plays
an important role for achieving the common goal of a peaceful,
democratic and prospering society.
For more than 15 years KAS and UMDF have been implementing
various activities together in order to empower media practitioners
by training their professional skills, promoting an enabling
environment for a free and vibrant media and enhancing awareness
among political and other stakeholders on media-related issues.
In 2010, the specific focus of the trainings for journalists conducted
by UMDF with support from KAS was “Elections Reporting” and
in this light it is a logical step that the first edition of this journal
Uganda Media Review is dedicated to the same topic. The
publication of this journal – the first of its kind in Uganda – marks
another milestone in the cooperation between KAS and UMDF.
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung wishes to express sincere gratitude
to UMDF for the many years of fruitful cooperation. Our special
thanks go to the authors who contributed articles to this journal
and to the staff members of UMDF without whose commitment
and good work this publication would not have been successfully
realized.
Peter Girke
Country Representative
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Uganda
Editorial
For the last 10 years, Uganda Media Development Foundation (UMDF) has
maintained its profile as the most consistent media organization in addressing media development issues in the country. From the mid-career journalism trainings throughout the country to the media policy dialogues on pertinent media policy issues, UMDF has been a leader in the in the industry. However, there has been a conspicuous lack of a regular publication that contextualizes media development
issues within the broader democracy and development trends of the country. This is despite the fact that globally there is growing recognition of the intrinsic connection between media and democracy and ultimately the well being of societies. This gradual recognition has given rise to initiatives such as the African Media Initiative(which focuses on strengthening the economic sustainability of media as well as news organisations), the Global Forum for Media Development (which campaigns for the integration of the media sector within the mainstream development assistance), as well as a research initiative funded by the British Broadcasting Corporation Trust that
examines strategies of integrating media development within international broader policy objectives, and many others.
In Uganda there have been many media trends that have implications both to the development of the media itself, and to the development of democracy. Many of these trends have disappeared before they could be properly analysed and stored in a preservable form because of lack of a forum. Trends such as the growing closure of media space, the fast growth of the telecommunications industry and what it means
for the media, as well as the proliferation of media outlets in form of radio (with its implications for the definition of journalism) require deeper analysis for the industry as well as policy makers to make sense of them, and inform further action. Further,
the growing de-professionalisation of the traditional media through the expanded freedoms of individuals to generate and access information through Web 2.0 tools and 3G technologies, as well as the continued discard of professional media ethics similarly require deeper analysis if we are to make sense of them.
The Media and Democracy Journal therefore will be a rare opportunity and forum to make sense of the media industry in Uganda, and link it to other sectors of society through informed analysis. On top of what UMDF is already doing, we hope that this initiative of a publication, jointly undertaken by UMDF and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) will add a new dimension to understanding the media in Uganda and the
interconnections with global trends, through rigorous analysis and contextualization.
This maiden issue focuses on debates about the forthcoming elections and the related issues of mediating elections related politics. Authors examine a range of topics: from relations with Police, to the climate of fear in newsrooms, growth of hybridity in radio content and presentation, to the way social media will change the way we tell the election story.
We also hope that it will generate conversations between the media and other sectors, and ultimately contribute to a vibrant media culture that is relevant to the needs and aspirations of the people of Uganda.
John Bosco Mayiga
University of West Ontario