SECTOR 3 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: 3.3 (2010: 3.5; 2007:3.4) 3.10 The state/public broadcaster offers balanced and fair information in news and current affairs, reflecting the full spectrum of diverse views and opinions. There is a great deal of coverage of the President’s activities on the UBC news and current affairs programmes. “Now there is the focus on the Prime Minster as well!” “UBC may be able to provide some diversity in terms of topics and regions covered, but at the political level it doesn’t have much room to manoeuvre.” At least New Vision, the newspaper group that is majority-owned by government, has some leeway, panellists said. “UBC doesn’t have that. Its coverage has to be politically correct. For example, journalists at UBC were hauled over the coals for covering the release from prison of (opposition leader and presidential contender) Besigye. I’m not sure there is policy forbidding them to cover these issues, but journalists feel these stories should not be covered.” If they do cover them, UBC employees risk losing their jobs. As a result, the UBC did not cover the ‘Walk to Work’ – a civil society-organised protest against the government’s handling of the economy, which started in April 2011. ”It (the ‘Walk to Work’) happened when they had just fired their news editor for trying to give some coverage to opposition parties during the elections. It was too close for the new people to risk covering the protests. My own sense is that they wouldn’t necessarily get into trouble for covering some of these stories, but they self-censor.” Another example was the UBC’s coverage of sexual minorities. “If government says this issue should not be covered, journalists will steer clear of it.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2012 53