By KT Reporter
As the country prepares for next year’s general elections, journalists in the greater Masaka have been cautioned against fueling tensions that may lead to unwanted political violence in the country.
The warning was issued during a three-day training in conflict-sensitive journalism by Uganda Radio Network, conducted under the Media Support for Public Accountability and Civic Engagement in Uganda (M-SPACE) program; one of the interventions aimed at managing tensions in the election cycle.
Doctor Gerald Walulya, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University, challenged journalists in greater Masaka to stick to ethical values and desist from endorsing candidates and promoting agendas as opposed to issues.
He noted that while the candidates and other political actors are scrambling for media space to promote their agenda, journalists ought to be cautious to avoid being used as conduits for creating anxiety and inciting the community towards violence.
He emphasized the need for media practitioners to remain responsible and always factual while reporting about individual politicians to ensure that they do not manipulate their media spaces to amplify tension through irresponsible communication.
“The media has a duty to hold candidates and other players in the election cycle accountable for their statements and actions during this period. Journalists need to focus mainly on identifying and amplifying the real issues as opposed to personal biases,” he noted.
Denis Paul Kabugo, the Masaka District Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, appealed to the journalist against the growing pattern of sensational reporting, reflected mainly on social media platforms, arguing that it is a serious threat to peaceful elections in the country.
He observes that because this election cycle has coincided with a massive digital media explosion where everyone can use their smartphones and unfiltered social media channels to pass out information, there is a need to have a critical mass of professional journalists who can act as conveyors for misinformation and hateful political propaganda spread to the community.
Kabugo called upon journalists to rise about the approach of citizen reporters, who tend not to be professional, hence having less focus and a limited scope of analyzing issues.
Maurice Matovu, the Secretary of Greater Masaka Journalist Association (GREMAJA), observed that training is timely, given the apparent clear indicators of political violence that have already been witnessed in some parts of the area.
He admitted that the many politicians in the area had already started creating cliques among media practitioners, with an aim of manipulating their reporting styles in the current political campaigns, hence jeopardizing the principle of fairness.
He indicates that the training is a wake-up call to journalists in the area to introspect on the way they report about the issues that affect the community, as opposed to becoming mouthpieces of politicians who spread harmful propaganda and hate speech.
In the last four days, Masaka has recorded four incidents that involved bitter clashes between supporters of contending candidates in Masaka, Bukomansimbi, and Kalungu districts.
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