links to the increasing patterns of omission of political discussions in the media. Another factor affecting investigative journalism is the legal implications of reporting accurately. Often the media houses are not able to get the documentary evidence from state authorities, despite the existence of the Access to Information (ATI) Act of 2005. Moreover, prohibition of homosexuality by the Penal Code Act, in addition to a highly conservative society, continue to negatively influence the ability to report fairly on issues affecting the affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. In spite of all the above negative incidents, there have been some positive aspects to the media since the last AMB. The law on sedition in the penal code was abolished following a constitutional ruling in August 2010. The victory followed a petition that media organisations filed in the Uganda Constitutional Court which challenged the legality of the law. This also led to the throwing out of a number of government cases against journalists and politicians who were charged under this law. This is seen as a positive factor, especially in the face of several other laws that continue to prohibit freedom of speech and press. In April 2011, the government signed into law long-awaited regulations for implementing Uganda’s Access to Information Act. The Act and the subsequent regulations are supposed to give effect to Article 41 of the Constitution, which guarantees citizens the “right to access information in possession of the State or any other organ or agency of the State except where the release of the information is likely to prejudice the security or sovereignty of the State or interfere with the right to the privacy of any other person”. There has been increased civic participation and consciousness brought on by poor governance that has been expressed through public discontent. In May 2011, a pressure group closely linked with opposition parties staged so called ‘Walk to Work’ protests to demonstrate against economic hardship in the country. The authorities were “caught off-guard” by the level of public support for the protest expressed by Ugandans on Facebook and Twitter. Improved reporting of women/rural citizens in the two largest newspapers - The Daily Monitor and New Vision is also another positive development. The Daily Monitor newspaper, for example, has a regular column ‘Full Woman’ and the paper has been redesigned to include a section that reports on news in the periurban and rural areas. As the country heads for elections in 2016, media reform efforts in the coming years need to focus on lobbying for the reform of the state broadcaster into a public broadcaster, the establishment of an independent broadcasting regulator and the repealing of repressive laws that hinder freedom of expression. The success of any lobbying efforts will depend on close coordination between media organisations and civil society organisations. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2012 9