SECTOR 4 The Daily Monitor group of companies, which is majority-owned by Kenya’s Nation Media Group (NMG), had also begun to ‘Ugandanise’ its management. “We now have a Ugandan MD, and MTV is in the process of getting a Ugandan General Manager.” Ugandans are now going to work for NMG’s other media outlets in Kenya and Tanzania. Meanwhile, at New Vision, “my editor-in-chief and her deputy are ladies. Across all platforms there are high numbers of women. I have never heard anyone saying they have been discriminated against… We also have one journalist with a hearing impairment”. The company has clear policies on equal opportunities, the panellist said. However, some panellists felt that any equality that exists within Uganda’s newsrooms “is by default”. “Do they specifically have a non-discriminatory policy that addresses gender, disability and the like? If you have an advert for a driver, do you say: ‘Women are encouraged to apply’? It is as if it (equality) is by the way.” Many of the country’s 200 or-so radio stations do not have policies on anything, let alone gender policies. “Some of them have editorial policies that are just three paragraphs long. The media that are represented here are major media houses, and we have to think about media outside the mainstream.” 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: 2.9 (2010: 3.6; 2007: n/a) 4.5 Journalists and editors do not practice self-censorship. Self-censorship is a problem across the media. “We are dealing with powerful forces in government and business. And media houses are not keen to take on these forces.” For example, government is “extremely touchy” about the ‘Walk to Work’ protests. “Their argument was that the ‘Walk to Work’ was aggravating the economic crisis. Journalists were wondering if they wanted to aggravate the crisis. As a result, perhaps we didn’t highlight police brutality as much as we should have done.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2012 65