SECTOR 4 4.3 The media cover the full spectrum of events, issues and cultures, including business/economics, cultural, local and investigative stories. Given the constraints placed on the media, their coverage is relatively broad. “I want to give credit to New Vision. They really have improved, although it is verging on being a tabloid. When you go through the newspaper, there are new developments in everything from ICTs to gardening. They cover the whole spectrum of topics. They also use lots of photos. I understand that is because they are trying to attract younger viewers.” Similarly, The Daily Monitor tries to cover a wide range of issues. The paper’s recent re-design “was geared towards creating more space in order to cover more topics. However, investigative journalism remains a challenge. “If I compare with South Africa, where the electronic media – even the public broadcaster – also do some investigative stories. Here the electronic media seems to put little effort into this.” “Internal mechanisms” sometimes frustrate journalists trying to do investigative stories. “At the moment I have 11 investigative stories ready, but they have not been run because… senior editors say they have to talk to our headquarters in Nairobi and someone in management, and to make phone calls to people in government.” Money is also a constraint. “If you want to do a good story you must use some money. It also takes time. Good stories are very expensive to do in Uganda.” Nonetheless, media houses are doing their best with limited resources to conduct investigative journalism. The electronic media - radio in particular - try to cover the rural areas. However, the rural issues they cover do not always make it into the national media. Furthermore, some panellists felt radio and television stations tend to focus on light entertainment – “trivial issues”. “I think this has gotten worse.” The Uganda Radio Network produces a programme called Uganda Perspective, which assigns reporters in various part of the country to provide different perspectives on a topical issue. “We spend a lot of money on that programme, but only about 10 stations use it. Private stations look at everything in terms of money and are reluctant to pay for programmes.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2012 63