SECTOR 4 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: 2.5; 2007: 3.7) 4.10 Journalists and other media practitioners are organised in trade unions and/or professional associations, which effectively represent their interests. Journalists are spoiled for choice, there are so many unions and professional bodies. “The problem is they are operating as factions.” So much so, organisations defending the rights of journalists have ended up fighting over the people they are supposed to protect. Meanwhile, associations claiming to represent rural media are based in the capital Kampala. “You really don’t know what they are doing for journalists.” “I don’t think the principle of trade unionism has been accepted by the media profession. I suspect employers are not keen to encourage their journalists to join a union. Yes, the union is there, but they are not there in the newsrooms.” Media associations only become active when there is a crisis, said one panellist. “Therefore, most of these media organisations are really inactive and don’t have stable funding.” Not everyone agreed with this scenario. In the past, journalists were not united. “But since 2010 there have been more joint efforts to fight for their issues.” However, a lot more could be done. “They (the media) need to work together. At the end of the day they are all pushing for free expression.” The Article 29 Coalition, formed in 2010 to campaign for media law reform, has “crumbled because of in-fighting.” One of the most active media bodies is the sports journalists association, because it receives funding from the private sector. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2012 71