SECTOR 1 Another panellist said the key issue was what the publication covered. “Newspapers come up and die every day. There are two catchy issues in Uganda that people look for: politics and matters of the bedroom. If you publish everyday news about agriculture you can get your paper out, but no one will buy it. But if you touch anything that is politics, you will get phone calls, your calls will be tapped. I don’t think there is much restriction on starting a paper if you don’t touch politics.” A Bill amending the Press and Journalist Act sought to empower the Statutory Media Council to license newspapers annually and to revoke the licenses of publications in breach of licensing conditions was introduced in 2010. However, this Press and Journalist (Amendment) Bill, proposed by the Ministry of Information and National Guidance, has yet to be tabled in Parliament. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 2.0 (2010: 4.4; 2007: n/a) 1.6 Entry into and practice of the journalistic profession is not restricted by law. In terms of Section 16 (3) of the Press and Journalist Act (2000), “a person shall not be eligible for enrolment” as a journalist “unless that person has complied with such requirements, whether relating to instruction, examination or otherwise, as to the acquisition of professional skill and experience as may be specified in the by-laws made for that purpose by the (National) institute (of Journalists of Uganda)”. The lnstitute is set under the law in order to “establish and maintain professional standards for journalists”. According to panellists, the National Institute of Journalists of Uganda (NIJU) requires that, to practice, a journalist must have either a university degree in journalism or mass communication, or a university degree plus a qualification in journalism or mass communication, and at least one year’s experience working as a journalist. Although there is no direct provision in the law that a journalist must have a University degree, one must have a degree to become a full member of the statutory NIJU. Therefore, indirectly since only people who are enrolled with AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2012 19