Independent Media Council Launched in Uganda

'Uganda: Self-Regulation is Media's Best Option'
by Kintu Musoke
for The Weekly Observer (Kampala) via allAfrica.com
December 10, 2008

After eight years of consultations, the Independent Media Council was launched in Kampala last Friday.

Headed by retired journalist cum politician, Kintu Musoke, the Council aims to promote ethics in media and resolve disputes between media houses and the public. Below is Kintu Musoke's abridged speech at the occasion:

"It is with great pleasure to be present as we witness this historic moment in the media landscape in Uganda when the first ever self-regulatory council, the Independent Media Council of Uganda, is born. I call it historic because for the first time in the history of Uganda, journalists and the media fraternity have made a self-derived commitment to manage media responsibility as is required in fostering democracy and good governance.

The importance of a strong, independent and responsible media to the attainment of democracy and good governance in Uganda cannot be overemphasized. The media are a valuable source as well as platform for information flow. The media play a crucial role in promoting and facilitating greater participation of citizens in decision making; in protection and promotion of human rights through awareness creation as well as exposition of human rights violations; in promoting vigilance towards the rule of law and the openness of court, legislative and administrative proceedings.

The media also act as watchdogs against corruption and ensure that greater importance is attached to development issues in the allocation of resources, especially contributing to combating the exclusion and marginalization of the poor, while at the same time strengthening the institutions responsible for promoting the overall development of society.

It is in recognition of this crucial role that Uganda has constitutional guarantees for the protection of the media. Article 29 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda guarantees "freedom of speech and expression which shall include freedom of the press and other media", while article 41 guarantees the right of access to information.

However, experience has shown that when the media have taken on this crucial role without being mindful of professionalism and responsibility, the results have been counterproductive, causing untold suffering and sometimes irreparable damage to individuals and society. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda is a shameful example of what can be partly attributed to recklessness in the media.

Therefore, the need to prevent and check media excesses calls for regulation of the media. The government would ordinarily want to regulate the media through all available means, including legislation and policy. Sometimes, even the temptation to use extra-judicial means becomes overbearing. However, as has been recognized and acknowledged by human rights standards and jurisdictions on freedom of expression, effective self-regulation is the best system for promoting high standards in the media. It strengthens democracy and promotes professionalism. It provides an avenue for the public to check on the excesses of the media and to hold accountable those who hold others accountable. This has been tested and tried in countries like Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Ghana and many others.

On that basis, therefore, the Independent Media Council of Uganda is a welcome mechanism that should strive to effectively ensure that media practitioners are and remain highly responsible and professional.

It was critically important that media practitioners developed and endorsed their own Code of Ethics which they committed to be bound by. The process of coming up with the Code of Ethics was highly participatory, consultative and countrywide. A code that is generally owned by the media practitioners stands a better chance of being upheld and respected by them. The code is the contract between the media practitioners and the public on which the former can and should be held accountable if they breach it. Therefore, I urge media practitioners not to let themselves down, but to respect and uphold the Code of Ethics at all times.

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One of the biggest challenges facing this country is the inadequate awareness of the general population of their rights and duties, and the remedies available in the event of violation of these rights. As the Independent Media Council of Uganda, we recognize our duty to sensitize and educate the public on the existence of this council in order to empower them to utilize it. The public must be empowered to point out the ethical shortcomings of media practitioners and expect that they would be appropriately addressed. I therefore urge all our readers, listeners and viewers to make use of this self regulation mechanism.

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In conclusion I would like to thank every individual, organisation and institution that has supported the process of establishing a self-regulation mechanism in Uganda, which process has neither been easy nor quick. Allow me to make special mention of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Danida, Norad, Dfid, Panos Eastern Africa, EAMi-Uganda Chapter, Press Clubs, The Weekly Observer, The New Vision."

(Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200812110647.html)