Uganda 4.2 The standard of reporting follows the basic principles of accuracy and fairness. ANALYSIS: Many media outlets have problems with both accuracy and fairness, with mainstream media scoring higher on fairness because they are trying to give both sides of the story. Inaccuracies are often a result of the general inaccessibility of information held by government. The New Vision has introduced a regular box “Corrections” in order to get stories right and to increase credibility with its readers. Certain tabloids such as the Red Pepper are seen to be “full of lies”. Radio journalism leaves a lot to be desired as there are hardly any professional journalists working in the field. The most important requirement for reporters at FM station is for them to be able to speak a vernacular language. They are sent to events without any or only little understanding of the concept of accuracy. In many cases, radio newsrooms pick their stories from newspapers without any effort to confirm the accuracy of the information. One of the reasons is that in most cases, newsrooms have no budget for telephone calls – an essential precondition for any checking of stories. Television services are in the main more accurate and fair. Increasingly, the borders between advertorial and editorial content are getting blurred – leaving the audience in the dark about how to distinguish between paid for and genuine information. SCORES: Individual scores: 2, 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 2 Average: 2.4 African Media Barometer - Uganda 2007 31