WAY FORWARD • Combatting corruption in the media: The issue of corruption in the media (including facilitation fees) is highly problematic, and “we need to find ways of dealing with this”. Efforts to deal with this should include sensitising the public on this issue; making it clear to them that paying journalists ‘facilitation fees’, and ‘transportation fees’, as a condition to receive coverage is corruption. • Training: In line with the point above, newsmakers – particularly civil society organisations – should be trained on how to make their news items more newsworthy. “There is a need for a conversation on how to engage with media-houses to ensure that what we present to them is newsworthy. There needs to be training on how to be more media savvy and to package news properly to be more appealing, etc.” Beyond this, media professionals require continuous training on the professional standards of reporting, as well as on media ethics and general professional development. • Self-regulation: “We need to find a way of effectively beginning the conversation around the statutory vs. the independent media council and to enhance the self-regulation conversation”. Activities around the implementation of standards, voluntary codes, etc., are also needed. • Research on media issues: There is a need to “build upon research and issues around what has been discussed at the AMB workshop.” (i.e. legislation and practice on freedom of expression, the nature of Uganda’s media landscape, broadcasting regulation, and the media’s professional standards). This could be spearheaded by ACME, as a neutral platform. “We need to keep the conversation and momentum going as a think-tank.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER UGANDA 2016 79