SECTOR 4

– but over loss of income, not on more fundamental issues such as press freedom.
“Not a single media owner stood up to the threats against press freedom.”

“Not a single
media owner
stood up to the
threats against
press freedom.”

Too often radio owners tend to disown employees in trouble
as they negotiate with the government, a reaction which
damages individual journalists’ careers. On the other hand,
small radio stations simply do not have any power at all to
stand up against outside interferences.

It is not just owners of small stations who meddle editorially.
There have been some cases where the Nation Media Group
(NMG), the owner of the Daily Monitor, tried to come
down on editors over a story the paper was pursuing. Mostly,
however, the management of NMG gets involved only after
stories have run and the government has complained. On
many occasions, Daily Monitor editors have put up a spirited
fight in defence of their stories and professionalism and in
most cases NMG has backed them in the end. “But over time, you ask yourself:
is it worth it?”
The difference between the bigger print media and others is that the bigger boys
can at least start to work on stories; for radio stations, you will probably be stopped
in your tracks right away: “You proceed, you have no job.”

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: 			

1.4

(2007: 1.4)

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2010

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