Uganda
Journalists fear proposed press controlsPosted Apr 9 2010
New legislation on press freedom has journalists in Uganda worried that tight press controls in the country will only get worse.
According to The Independent, the legislation being proposed would require newspapers to be licensed yearly and be revoked at anytime by the Media Council for publishing anything that could threaten national security.
While the Minister of Information Kabakumba Masiko said the proposed legislation isn’t connected to upcoming elections, Director of the African Center for Media Excellence Peter Mwesige doesn’t agree. He also feels the legislation will have a negative effect on already strained press freedom. He tells The Independent, “The Media Council could easily revoke or refuse to renew the license of a newspaper accused of committing the new publication offences the bill creates. And this could be done even before a competent court pronounces itself on whether the newspaper in fact committed those offences.”
Many in Uganda’s media hope to have the proposed legislation killed as soon as possible. And in the effort to show their discontent with the plan, a group of journalists, called the Article 29 coalition, came together to write a joint editorial for The Observer. “In order for the media to effectively fulfill that role, journalists require unfettered space that is free from processes that may lead to overt or covert control,” the group writes. “It is our sincere belief that the proposed amendments will greatly curtail the media's capacity to fulfill its important duties during the electoral period.”
Joel Simon, executive director of CPJ, also penned a letter to Uganda’s Speaker of the House Ssekandi Kiwanuka. In it, he expresses his worry that not just publications that are deemed to be a threat will be closed, but also publications with a lack of funding. The council might also deny licenses based on factors such as “social, cultural and economic values of the newspaper,” and “proof of existence of adequate technical facilities,” he said. “Such requirements would ensure that only well-funded media houses that share the values of government officials would be allowed to publish.”
Many in the media stand by the belief that the legislation will only do harm to journalism and the public.
The legislation will be presented before Parliament soon.