an established practice, to the point where certain organisations and individuals
are unwilling to acknowledge that paying journalists transportation and food
allowances is tantamount to corruption.
This problem is not unique to the media industry, and is a reflection of what is
happening in broader society. “We have a problem in this country with regards
to facilitation. It’s not secluded to journalism. If you have any meeting, people are
signing for transport refunds.”
Some reporters are tarnishing the image of the industry further and in an attempt to supplement their meagre incomes by extorting money from members of
the public. These reporters threaten to leak a “potentially salacious” story if they
are not paid a bribe; while certain tabloids “manufacture stories” and then try to
extort money from the subject of the story.
Despite the challenges, the public still place a great deal of faith in the media and
citizens continue to enjoy the benefits of the diverse media landscape of Uganda.
Radio continues to be the most widely accessed medium, with over 270 radio
stations scattered across the country. The print media sector has experienced
a decline in circulation figures, and is grappling with changes affecting most of
the continent: high printing costs, increasing overheads and a marked decline in
revenue. This is pushing the sector to explore transformation since it is unable to
compete with faster, easily accessible and less costly news and information that
social media platforms offer.

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2016

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