MEDIA freedom in Uganda is threatened by legal restrictions, economic and political pressures and poor working conditions for journalists, according to a new report by the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative.
The report titled ‘In defence of media freedoms in Uganda,’ was launched yesterday at Hotel Africana in Kampala by the executive director, Livingstone Sewanyana.
The report establishes that with the growth of the media industry following its liberalisation in the 1990s, there has been an increase in state interference.
“Interference is characterised by a multiplicity of policy and restrictions, criminal sanctions against independent-minded journalists and underlying economic and political pressures that undermine independent thought among media practitioners,” reads a summary of the report.
It also establishes that there was intrusion by state organs, arbitrary closure of media houses and dictation on programme content, self-censorship by journalists and loss of editorial independence.
“There is a discriminatory application of restrictive laws where privately-owned media houses are frequently charged, while their counterparts in state-owned media houses are spared for writing the same stories.”
The report suggests the repeal of restrictive media legislations in the Penal Code, the Press and Journalists Statute and the Anti-terrorism law.
Sewanyana said other restrictive legislations such as the proposed Interception of Communications Bill and the NGO Amendment Act also have the potential to stifle independent thought and action.
He added that there was a clash of mandates amongst statutory bodies that control the media such as the Uganda Communications Commission, the Broadcasting Council and the recently formed Media Centre.
“The duplication of roles is an unnecessary inconvenience to media practitioners. We would like to see a media in this country, capable of discussing issues and making sure everybody participates in issues of governance, ” the human rights chief observed.
