Informer
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 29, 2006
- 1,582
- 6,627
IN SUMMARY
> Running leading stories and front page headlines with “dead economy!” do not help – largely because they barely enrich the argument from dead to the opportunities therein.
> It goes minus saying that such alarmist headlines, turn away would be investors, and tourists... Broadcasting standards dictate what is responsible reporting and what is not. Best practice protocols must be adhered to.
> If the economy goes to the dogs or the dogs come to the economy, it is Ugandans that will lose out and suffer.
Economy collapses!”, “Economy on life support!”, “Companies struggle as economy takes down turn!”... I guess you have met such screaming headlines, and yes, this is what our eyes are treated to every other day from numerous news outlets. The Ugandan economy has become a story of its own, commanding prime real estate in print, radio and electronic media. It calls to mind the quote: “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”
So back to the question: Is the media helping or hurting the Ugandan economy? Among the many roles the media plays, one key responsibility is to create public awareness. This is done hand in hand with the available facts on the ground. Media today continues to play the role of creating and shaping public opinion. But have the media players stopped to ask themselves; Are we in position to make Uganda look good? Yes, we are. Are we helping? Yes, apart from the alarmist and sensationalist headlines from some media, we are working hard to bring the truth to the fore in a balanced manner.
The question is how do we strike a balance without compromising ourselves and at the same time holding the government accountable? We can keep checks on the government while telling success stories.
The world over, media is used to push investments to their respective countries. Investors turn to the media to know where to put their money. Across the continents, the American model offers constructive insight on how media can make a respective country endearing to the foreign investors but at the same time do not give a free pass to their leaders.
So, running leading stories and front page headlines with “dead economy!” do not help – largely because they barely enrich the argument from dead to the opportunities therein. It goes minus saying that such alarmist headlines, turn away would be investors, and tourists. A case in point is how media houses covered the Kasese unrest. The tourism sector was hurt, remember Rwenzori region is home to the most spectacular crater lakes, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Mt Rwenzori National Park, places with unique wild features some of which not found anywhere in the world! Did the manner of reporting hurt us? Of course it did, many tourists cancelled travelling to Uganda, alarmed from what they were fed on by numerous media outlets and this of course led to lost revenues for the thousands working in that sector not to mention the taxes.
Broadcasting standards dictate what is responsible reporting and what is not. Best practice protocols must be adhered to. If the economy goes to the dogs or the dogs come to the economy, it is Ugandans that will lose out and suffer. Even the media will not work because of breakdown in infrastructure. And this is not in anyway meant to curtail journalism, but the words we choose to deliver a message can make or break this country.
The National Association of Broadcasters will continue to work with the Uganda Communications Commission to ensure that the journalism professional benchmarks are upheld. We need stronger regulation and implementation of already agreed to policies. For instance, the policy of 70 per cent local content quota is still a work in progress for most media houses. I need to illuminate that airing foreign series with local voice-overs does not constitute local content. To promote our own local content, it must be Ugandan and produced and directed by Ugandans. It should be noted, promoting local content attracts investors to the economy.
Some media houses must be commended for extending their mandates to initiatives that are productive, educational and promoting the economy. The recent Harvest Money Expo by New Vision and the Economic Forum by NTV are examples of how media is using their platform to help the economy. The NBS partnership with Leo Africa that holds the Economic Forum underscores the need for media to elevate itself from just lamenting about situations, but shape how the country should be.
Travel and agribusiness shows have received positive reception in promoting local content and showcasing Uganda. With these and other initiatives, the media can take a cue from the global TV networks such as Al Jazeera and CNN which are taking steps to promote successful African stories. But we as the Ugandan media must be at the forefront of narrating our own stories and providing direction to the Ugandan public and the world.
Mr Kariisa is the chairman, National Association of Broadcasters and chief executive officer, NBS TV.
> Running leading stories and front page headlines with “dead economy!” do not help – largely because they barely enrich the argument from dead to the opportunities therein.
> It goes minus saying that such alarmist headlines, turn away would be investors, and tourists... Broadcasting standards dictate what is responsible reporting and what is not. Best practice protocols must be adhered to.
> If the economy goes to the dogs or the dogs come to the economy, it is Ugandans that will lose out and suffer.
Economy collapses!”, “Economy on life support!”, “Companies struggle as economy takes down turn!”... I guess you have met such screaming headlines, and yes, this is what our eyes are treated to every other day from numerous news outlets. The Ugandan economy has become a story of its own, commanding prime real estate in print, radio and electronic media. It calls to mind the quote: “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”
So back to the question: Is the media helping or hurting the Ugandan economy? Among the many roles the media plays, one key responsibility is to create public awareness. This is done hand in hand with the available facts on the ground. Media today continues to play the role of creating and shaping public opinion. But have the media players stopped to ask themselves; Are we in position to make Uganda look good? Yes, we are. Are we helping? Yes, apart from the alarmist and sensationalist headlines from some media, we are working hard to bring the truth to the fore in a balanced manner.
The question is how do we strike a balance without compromising ourselves and at the same time holding the government accountable? We can keep checks on the government while telling success stories.
The world over, media is used to push investments to their respective countries. Investors turn to the media to know where to put their money. Across the continents, the American model offers constructive insight on how media can make a respective country endearing to the foreign investors but at the same time do not give a free pass to their leaders.
So, running leading stories and front page headlines with “dead economy!” do not help – largely because they barely enrich the argument from dead to the opportunities therein. It goes minus saying that such alarmist headlines, turn away would be investors, and tourists. A case in point is how media houses covered the Kasese unrest. The tourism sector was hurt, remember Rwenzori region is home to the most spectacular crater lakes, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Mt Rwenzori National Park, places with unique wild features some of which not found anywhere in the world! Did the manner of reporting hurt us? Of course it did, many tourists cancelled travelling to Uganda, alarmed from what they were fed on by numerous media outlets and this of course led to lost revenues for the thousands working in that sector not to mention the taxes.
Broadcasting standards dictate what is responsible reporting and what is not. Best practice protocols must be adhered to. If the economy goes to the dogs or the dogs come to the economy, it is Ugandans that will lose out and suffer. Even the media will not work because of breakdown in infrastructure. And this is not in anyway meant to curtail journalism, but the words we choose to deliver a message can make or break this country.
The National Association of Broadcasters will continue to work with the Uganda Communications Commission to ensure that the journalism professional benchmarks are upheld. We need stronger regulation and implementation of already agreed to policies. For instance, the policy of 70 per cent local content quota is still a work in progress for most media houses. I need to illuminate that airing foreign series with local voice-overs does not constitute local content. To promote our own local content, it must be Ugandan and produced and directed by Ugandans. It should be noted, promoting local content attracts investors to the economy.
Some media houses must be commended for extending their mandates to initiatives that are productive, educational and promoting the economy. The recent Harvest Money Expo by New Vision and the Economic Forum by NTV are examples of how media is using their platform to help the economy. The NBS partnership with Leo Africa that holds the Economic Forum underscores the need for media to elevate itself from just lamenting about situations, but shape how the country should be.
Travel and agribusiness shows have received positive reception in promoting local content and showcasing Uganda. With these and other initiatives, the media can take a cue from the global TV networks such as Al Jazeera and CNN which are taking steps to promote successful African stories. But we as the Ugandan media must be at the forefront of narrating our own stories and providing direction to the Ugandan public and the world.
Mr Kariisa is the chairman, National Association of Broadcasters and chief executive officer, NBS TV.
