Uganda
shillings while contract freelancers earn 200.000 on average (a
teacher, by comparison, earns 220.000, a junior lecturer at university 900.000). At FM stations, the situation is worse: there a story
pays 500 shillings (with sound-bite 700).
There are reports on corruption among media practitioners, with
the highly paid tending to be more corrupt: “They will take the
envelope but will not fight for it”. Sometimes sources are paying
bribes so as to prevent publication of a certain story or a reporter
might extort money from a person for suppressing a negative story.
Some members of parliaments are said to have their own ‘personal
reporters’.
Increasingly there is the phenomenon of ‘official’ corruption which
has started with the President paying reporters during his election
campaign. Now there is a tendency towards all organisations, nongovernmental bodies included, having to pay a certain amount to
ensure that their event is covered.
SCORES:
Individual scores:

2, 2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

Average:

2.2

4.9

Training facilities offer formal qualification programmes
for journalists as well as opportunities to upgrade
their skills.

ANALYSIS:
Media training facilities exist but they are not well equipped. A
number of universities offer degree courses in journalism, such as
Makerere University which now also offers a masters programme.
In 2002, the Eastern Africa Media Institute – Uganda Chapter de36

African Media Barometer - Uganda 2007

Select target paragraph3