Uganda 2.6 The editorial independence of print media published by a public authority is protected adequately against undue political interference. ANALYSIS: The daily New Vision was set up by the New Vision Printing and Publishing Act which guarantees its independence. Government through the Ministry of Finance owns 80% of shares of the daily New Vision and the general public (including President Museveni) the remaining 20%. The board of the newspaper is appointed by the minister of finance as the majority shareholder, and in turn appoints the editor and decides on the editorial policy. Despite the legal guarantee of independence, the majority shareholder’s interests override all others. Its interference is quite obvious, with the President himself calling the editor regularly to express his dissatisfaction with certain stories. From time to time the President even threatens the newspaper publicly: “We are going to sort them out”. Such interference does, of course, have a chilling effect on editors and reporters. Despite all this, the New Vision is not simply perceived as a government mouthpiece but as a respectable paper which is relatively free to carry stories critical of government to a certain degree. SCORES: Individual scores: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 Average: 1.5 African Media Barometer - Uganda 2007 15