Press freedom involves protecting people’s rights
Apr 20, 2010
When the NRM came to power in January 1986, the country had only one radio station and one television station, both owned by the state. Today there are over 150 licensed radio stations, more than 10 television stations and several private-owned newspapers.
By Dr. John Baptist Tumusiime
When the NRM came to power in January 1986, the country had only one radio station and one television station, both owned by the state. Today there are over 150 licensed radio stations, more than 10 television stations and several private-owned newspapers.
The Government focused attention on giving licenses to radio stations because radio sets are affordable to majority Ugandans and because radio is able to penetrate remote areas that cannot be reached by television and the print media.
Recent statistics show that radio covers 80% of the country, making it the most powerful medium of communication and mobilisation in Uganda.
From the time the Government liberalised the airwaves, radio has played a constructive role in the promotion of democracy, good governance, economic development, health and cultural values such as peace, justice, honesty and reconciliation.
Unfortunately, the country is today witnessing the emergence of hate radio. Hate radio are stations that have been inciting and fuelling tension, hatred, violence, and fostering conflicts between some tribes and social groups and against the Government, either for political and ideological reasons or in order to win popularity and increase sales of airtime.
There are many examples to demonstrate attempts by some radio stations to incite, fuel violence and undermine the Government. They include allegations by a talk show host of KFM in August 2007 who publicly accused President Yoweri Museveni of causing the death of the southern Sudanese leader, John Garang. There were also sensational and hate reports aired by several radio stations in September 2009 when the Government stopped the Kabaka of Buganda from visiting Kayunga.
The exaggerated manner in which the issue was reported, portraying the Kabaka and Buganda as victims, led to riots in Kampala. Some of the radio stations coordinated the violence by airing live hate messages relayed by the extremists who phoned in, calling on the Baganda to fight the Government.
At the end of the chaos, 27 people had been killed. The loss of life and the destruction of property could have been avoided if the radio stations had not actively participated in fuelling tension and inciting and coordinating the violence on the streets, especially by letting extremists phone in unchecked and disseminate their hate.
Professional broadcasters are expected to be conscious of hate campaigns and weigh every word they say in their programmes. The problem in Uganda is most of the broadcasters are not journalists by training. Many are school drop-outs.
Some are university graduates but without any training in the profession. Every profession has its ethics and deontology.
Professional deontology is a set of norms which every professional must observe. The main purpose of ethics and deontology is to ensure respect for the rights and reputation of others and the protection of public morals, national security and public order.
The crisis of professional ethics is clearly visible in the numerous insults and derogatory language used by the broadcasters of the hate radio stations against individuals and organisations who dare speak out against the abuse of the media profession.
The motto of the hate radio stations is that you are either with us or against us. And if you are against us, keep quiet. This approach has intimidated many people, including influential figures such as religious leaders, politicians, academics and media professionals who would have spoken out and helped guide the nation.
It is important to note that evil persists in society because good people fear to condemn it. If we fear to condemn the hate media, we should be prepared for catastrophes similar to or even worse than the 2008 post-election violence in Kenya and the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The Constitution of Uganda guarantees freedom of the press. The hate radio stations often hide behind this freedom to justify their campaigns. They have a tendency to believe that the media have only rights and no duties or obligations to the public, nation and to individuals.
This has led them to regard any form of regulation as an attempt to stifle press freedom. Freedom is not absolute and comes with responsibilities. Freedom of the press must be balanced against the individual rights of other people and against the vital interests of Uganda.
The Constitution that guarantees freedom of the press is the same constitution that guarantees other rights to which we are all entitled. If broadcasters want to be free, they must be guided by reason and the law, and not by hate and the desire to win popularity.
There is, therefore, need to have proper bodies to introduce more serious measures that will monitor the media in the practice of ethical and responsible journalism.
The Media Council and other state bodies that regulate broadcasting have done a good job, but in addition, journalists must form a self-regulatory body that will draw up a professional code of conduct that members should observe.
Media owners need to cooperate with the professional body by making sure that the individuals they employ as journalists are trained journalists and that they are enrolled with the professional fraternity.
A journalist who is suspended or expelled by the fraternity for violating the code should be barred from practising the profession. A media owner who is bent on broadcasting hate programmes should face the law.
What the profession needs, however, is not a multiplication of fraternities but one strong, independent and credible fraternity. Journalism is a profession like medicine and law. The Government and the professional fraternity need to ensure whoever is practising journalism in Uganda is a trained journalist.
The writer is a media professional working with an international media organisation in Italy
When the NRM came to power in January 1986, the country had only one radio station and one television station, both owned by the state. Today there are over 150 licensed radio stations, more than 10 television stations and several private-owned newspapers.
The Government focused attention on giving licenses to radio stations because radio sets are affordable to majority Ugandans and because radio is able to penetrate remote areas that cannot be reached by television and the print media.
Recent statistics show that radio covers 80% of the country, making it the most powerful medium of communication and mobilisation in Uganda.
From the time the Government liberalised the airwaves, radio has played a constructive role in the promotion of democracy, good governance, economic development, health and cultural values such as peace, justice, honesty and reconciliation.
Unfortunately, the country is today witnessing the emergence of hate radio. Hate radio are stations that have been inciting and fuelling tension, hatred, violence, and fostering conflicts between some tribes and social groups and against the Government, either for political and ideological reasons or in order to win popularity and increase sales of airtime.
There are many examples to demonstrate attempts by some radio stations to incite, fuel violence and undermine the Government. They include allegations by a talk show host of KFM in August 2007 who publicly accused President Yoweri Museveni of causing the death of the southern Sudanese leader, John Garang. There were also sensational and hate reports aired by several radio stations in September 2009 when the Government stopped the Kabaka of Buganda from visiting Kayunga.
The exaggerated manner in which the issue was reported, portraying the Kabaka and Buganda as victims, led to riots in Kampala. Some of the radio stations coordinated the violence by airing live hate messages relayed by the extremists who phoned in, calling on the Baganda to fight the Government.
At the end of the chaos, 27 people had been killed. The loss of life and the destruction of property could have been avoided if the radio stations had not actively participated in fuelling tension and inciting and coordinating the violence on the streets, especially by letting extremists phone in unchecked and disseminate their hate.
Professional broadcasters are expected to be conscious of hate campaigns and weigh every word they say in their programmes. The problem in Uganda is most of the broadcasters are not journalists by training. Many are school drop-outs.
Some are university graduates but without any training in the profession. Every profession has its ethics and deontology.
Professional deontology is a set of norms which every professional must observe. The main purpose of ethics and deontology is to ensure respect for the rights and reputation of others and the protection of public morals, national security and public order.
The crisis of professional ethics is clearly visible in the numerous insults and derogatory language used by the broadcasters of the hate radio stations against individuals and organisations who dare speak out against the abuse of the media profession.
The motto of the hate radio stations is that you are either with us or against us. And if you are against us, keep quiet. This approach has intimidated many people, including influential figures such as religious leaders, politicians, academics and media professionals who would have spoken out and helped guide the nation.
It is important to note that evil persists in society because good people fear to condemn it. If we fear to condemn the hate media, we should be prepared for catastrophes similar to or even worse than the 2008 post-election violence in Kenya and the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The Constitution of Uganda guarantees freedom of the press. The hate radio stations often hide behind this freedom to justify their campaigns. They have a tendency to believe that the media have only rights and no duties or obligations to the public, nation and to individuals.
This has led them to regard any form of regulation as an attempt to stifle press freedom. Freedom is not absolute and comes with responsibilities. Freedom of the press must be balanced against the individual rights of other people and against the vital interests of Uganda.
The Constitution that guarantees freedom of the press is the same constitution that guarantees other rights to which we are all entitled. If broadcasters want to be free, they must be guided by reason and the law, and not by hate and the desire to win popularity.
There is, therefore, need to have proper bodies to introduce more serious measures that will monitor the media in the practice of ethical and responsible journalism.
The Media Council and other state bodies that regulate broadcasting have done a good job, but in addition, journalists must form a self-regulatory body that will draw up a professional code of conduct that members should observe.
Media owners need to cooperate with the professional body by making sure that the individuals they employ as journalists are trained journalists and that they are enrolled with the professional fraternity.
A journalist who is suspended or expelled by the fraternity for violating the code should be barred from practising the profession. A media owner who is bent on broadcasting hate programmes should face the law.
What the profession needs, however, is not a multiplication of fraternities but one strong, independent and credible fraternity. Journalism is a profession like medicine and law. The Government and the professional fraternity need to ensure whoever is practising journalism in Uganda is a trained journalist.
The writer is a media professional working with an international media organisation in Italy