SECTOR 1 Outside of politics and issues related to ethnicity, Ugandans are more willing to express themselves. However, on subjects that people are willing to speak unreservedly, there are urban and rural differences. “In rural communities, people are afraid of simply demanding the services required from mandated offices such as the District Community Development Officer (DCDO).” Some panellists posited that this had to do with “civic competence and the understanding of their rights. Many people in the rural areas don’t know they’re entitled to express themselves freely.” “Freedom of expression exists, but to a limited extent. There are those who are out-spoken and bold, but also those who don’t speak their mind. When they criticise government, some of the media reported that they (including private media professionals), get threatening calls….unless you’re bold or have the backing of NGOs, you might censor yourself because of the fear.” This fear emanates from the threatening language used by these anonymous callers, and “citizens are afraid to ask the hard questions.” The caller might say things such as, “How dare you speak about someone like this. Are you bullet proof?” “There have been a few calls here and there, not only from government but also other political parties. They call you and say, “we know what car you drive and where you stay.” While it would appear that people express themselves more freely on media platforms that allow them to be anonymous, there are those who will identify themselves by name, “There are regular callers on radio and TV programmes, especially on vernacular programmes, who are very critical. But it is often the same people calling on different programmes, and you even wonder whether they are really expressing themselves, or have been paid to express.” For some of these callers, it appears this would be a tactic to gain stardom. One panellist noted, “There are political programmes where you have the same old Joes. I spoke to one of those personalities and asked about whether he was getting paid to call in, and he said no, and that this was a platform for him to become known; to get onto media and become a politician. The call-in culture seems to be used as a stepping stone to media or political fame.” The fear to express oneself freely is more pertinent during periods of political contestation or in controversy, and restrictions and threats on the exercise of this right are also more pronounced during this time. In the pre-election period in 2014, “several journalists were arrested, but the authorities couldn’t find laws on which to charge them, as the laws on sedition and false news have been scrapped.” During 2014, NTV; while in 2013, the Red Pepper and Monitor; were closed by authorities for about a week, after they 14 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2016