Advertisers should propel media freedom

Nov 17, 2008

Freedom of the media is a cardinal pillar of democracy that should be protected at all costs because an informed population is crucial to a functioning democracy.

Freedom of the media is a cardinal pillar of democracy that should be protected at all costs because an informed population is crucial to a functioning democracy.

The media provides a public sphere on which all citizenry are free to air their views with no interference and no fear. The media also functions as a watchdog of society holding the three arms of government: the executive, parliament and the judiciary accountable for the proper functionality of the state.

However, media freedom is not just about the absence of political interference in the newsrooms but also independence from other stakeholders like multi-national corporations and the business world. Lately, behind the scenes, there have been an increasing number of businesses exerting direct or indirect influence on media companies. It is becoming a worrying trend that some advertisers are throwing caution to the wind and dangling the dollar to influence media coverage. This has gone to absurd extremes with advertisers entering unholy cunning relations with equally unprofessional journalists to tilt coverage in their favour or by some advertisers withdrawing or threatening to withdraw the dollar when the media does not oblige them.

The media is not always professional and sometimes they get it wrong either through ignorance or intentional malpractice but it is a win for democracy when the offended party including advertisers use the normal legal procedures for redress.

With 12 newspapers, 14 television stations, hundreds of radio stations, and numerous magazines, all reflecting various political, social and economical views, Uganda has made milestones in media freedom and it is everybody’s responsibility including the advertisers to protect this. This is especially crucial if the small media houses that play a key role in disseminating information to every corner in this nation are to survive.

For Uganda to advance, Government, development partners, the multinational corporations and all stakeholders should invest more in professionalising journalism and media management. Mass communication is strategic to national development and should be supported right from the cradles of journalism school.

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