Eric Dunstan Naigambi
26 May 2008
opinion
Twenty years since Makerere University admitted her first students of journalism; the practice of news reporting has changed. Media practitioners have ceased to be school dropouts, to well educated people.
In the absence of a credible opposition, Ugandan media remains the most consistent forum for trading alternative views - market place of ideas. More people rely on the media as their primary source of information. The media have not been a disappointment, they have taken us through a range of scenarios - from planned presidential address to calamities like floods. Through the media we can follow and participate in issues we feel obliged to.
The principal tenet of media practice is to seek the truth and publish it though there are so many myths about the truth. While some people feel everyone should have access to the truth, there are others whose duty is to hide it especially from the media.
That is the essence of problems. In a democratic setting, everyone has a right to participate in issues of governance at all levels, and for good results, such participation must be backed by knowledge. People must do so to protect, promote and let their stakes be known.
In a recent case, for instance, through the media we were informed that it is against scientific beliefs and rational thinking to cut down a natural forest and replace it with perishable shrubs.
This the media did by establishing and highlighting proven scientific theories of well-articulated moral, financial, legal and political arguments upon which policy makers could base to take corrective decisions.
One thing is that there are as many angles of argument to an issue as there are people.
Since each media outlet has an ideology, a target audience and a unique approach to issues, it is advisable to have as many media outlets as possible. Where an SMS, for instance, allows 120 characters, the Internet is limitless - an entire book or library can be delivered in a message.
Moreover, the Internet circumvents all barriers imposed on the media by time and space. As for Ugandans, the content of www.radiokatwe.com is an example of things that any sensible person would fear to say or write about in ordinary media, but love to know about all the same.
In our quest for development, there are various energy leaks by the corrupt. Easily put, those abuse of entrusted power for private gain. The fact that those who seek services never get their worth attracts the attention of the media. It is all about dishonesty, telling lies and lawlessness.
A situation where everyone is waiting for a chance to cheat the other, take his or her place even if it means committing murder. They all become experts at doing evil. Situations where public officials do the unexpected such as judges asking for bribes attract media attention.
No one wants a situation where those who seek justice are frustrated when an influential person tells a judge what he wants, and they scheme together. This weakens society because no one believes the neighbour or trusts a friend.
The media establish the truth and publish it so that when the wider community gets involved they do so for good reasons.
Hazards in the industry have forced many of the proficient reporters to leave reporting for public relations, advertising, marketing, and other professions.
This is especially true among women. The demands of journalism practice conflict with rather than complement those of the family. Few women continue with the practice after marriage, and fewer would hang on after they have had children.
Many journalists have shifted base because of ideological shifts in media houses.
The worst however has been the love and hate relationship that binds the media and the state. By some reason, the state always prefers to have the official angle feature eminently, a thing that the media can never settle for.
The media would prefer to publish as much as possible plus the official angle as one of the views in the story. The reason being that the ultimate aim of reporting is not creating awareness, but enabling our audiences appreciate where they are and weigh the available options.
Give as much platform to as many views as possible to facilitate an informed debate on matters of the day.
Mr Naigambi is a specialist in communication
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