Uganda’s court reporters have been quite busy lately with so many high profile cases involving corruption.

The highest attention has been paid to the State’s case against Geoffrey Kazinda who has been charged with the offences of abuse of office, forgery and “making documents without authority”. He also faces separate charges of embezzlement, “false accounting” and “conspiracy to commit a felony” jointly with a number of other officials he worked with in the Office of the Prime Minister. Mr Kazinda was the principal accountant in the OPM.

Unfortunately, some of the stories on the Kazinda case don’t make much sense to those who have not been in court, which is most of us (readers, listeners, and viewers).

On several occasions most reporters have simply acted like court stenographers, relaying what happened in court without any sense of context or perspective.

Obviously, some of the details of the proceedings are quite “juicy” and merit coverage. But in most cases key aspects of the proceedings should be presented within a context that helps audiences make sense of what is going on.

Let’s take the example of this week’s reports about Mr Kazinda’s brother Frederick Wamala’s appearance as a prosecution witness.

None of the stories I have read attempted to explain why this was important or what it meant.

As a reader, I was interested to know the following:

• Why was Mr Kazinda’s brother brought in as a State witness?
• What was (supposed to be) the import of his testimony?
• Why was the question of whether he signed the (Kazinda house) “search” report important? Was there a possibility that evidence gathered from Mr Kazinda’s house could be challenged if it was not collected through the proper channels? Was Mr Wamala’s testimony therefore meant to protect this evidence?

Without answers to some of these questions the testimony of Mr Kazinda’s brother was pretty meaningless for many readers.

Court reporters could borrow a thing or two from their counterparts who cover sports. Sports reporters (the good ones, that is) often explore the strategies of the competing teams or individuals.

For instance, they will tell you not only that but why one football coach has employed a particular system (e.g. one heavy on the midfield). Perhaps, we shall be told that he is trying to stem the threat posed by the opponents who play a quick passing game. By having a team with five midfielders, instead of the usual four, the said coach is trying to disrupt the flow of the other team.

We can also think about court as a game with two teams (and I am not in any way trying to reduce what happens in the courts to entertainment; it’s serious business). On one side is the prosecution and on the other is the defence. In the middle is the judge, the referee.

The prosecution wants the defendant (Mr Kazinda) convicted on several grounds.  The defence plans to fight all the charges (or the most serious of them) so that the defendant can walk.

The prosecution strategy could revolve around presenting solid evidence against the defendant, including the testimony of credible witnesses who have first-hand knowledge or expertise about the alleged crime(s).

The defence strategy on the other hand could be about challenging veracity of the evidence, the credibility of (some of) the witnesses, and perhaps the legality of the process through which the defendant was arrested and arraigned. The whole point of the strategy would be to sow reasonable doubt on the defendant’s culpability.

With this in mind, the smart court reporter will not simply report what happened in court but will whenever necessary place this within the appropriate context, reminding readers, for instance, about what the prosecution or defence is trying to achieve. This way the audience will be reminded every now and then about the different strategies that the prosecution and defence have employed and how the witnesses who testified on a particular day fit in that strategy.

For example, a reporter could write the following (this is purely hypothetical): “By presenting his brother, the prosecution sought to buttress the case of forgery against Mr Kazinda by showing that the documents in court, including OPM letterheads with the Permanent Secretary’s signature, were duly collected from his house.”

The last time I made a case for infusing context and explanation in court reports a senior newsroom manager was worried that this could easily be interpreted by reporters as an invitation to introduce their own opinions into stories.

I argued then, as now, that reporters would not be abusing the privilege extended to journalists in the “contemporaneous” reporting of judicial proceedings if they carefully provided context and explanation without any attempt to influence the “final outcome” of the trial.

One way of avoiding the newsroom manager’s fear is for the reporters to talk to independent lawyers, or even former prosecutors to interpret what is going on. In that case they will attribute the interpretation to those experts.

Obviously, reporters would get into trouble with the courts and the law if they wrote opinionated statements such as “Mr Kazinda is definitely guilty” or “The prosecution has a very strong case against Mr Kazinda”.

But opinion should not be confused with analysis based on solid-reporting of the facts.

***

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With support from the MacArthur Foundation, the African Centre for Media Excellence is implementing a two-year media training programme for up to 40 suitably qualified radio journalists (reporters and editors) based in Uganda’s Albertine region. By Albertine region, we mean the districts of Amuru, Buliisa, Bundibugyo, Fort Portal, Hoima, Kanungu, Kasese, Masindi, Nebbi, Ntoroko, Nwoya, and Arua. Titled Enhancing Transparency in the Extractive Sector in Uganda through Information-provision and Knowledge-based Reporting, the programme is designed for journalists with a demonstrated interest in covering oil and gas issues. Its purpose is to promote accurate, knowledgeable, enterprising and investigative reporting that enhances transparency and accountability in Uganda’s emerging petroleum sector.

Training Programme

The training programme consists of two residential courses of six days each for each group of journalists. Note that not all 40 journalists are undertaking the training in one group. They do so in different groups. Those selected will form the second group of reporters and editors, the first group having recently completed training. The first course is conducted at the African Centre for Media Excellence training centre in Kampala, and will run from Monday, 22 April to Saturday, 27 April 2013. Successful candidates will be fully sponsored and must commit to completing all aspects of the programme.

The full course for each group runs over a period of about three months comprising a series of learning activities and professional support to trainees individually and collectively. This particular call targets radio reporters and editors – not talk show hosts/presenters. Talk show hosts/presenters will get a separate invitation to apply. Those reporters and editors who miss out will have to wait for yet another chance – they will be part of the third and final group.

Training Approach

The training methodology is a mixture of seminars, interviews, roundtable discussions, regular mentoring, field trips, workshops, and debates with experts. The training is interactive and practical with a focus on fundamental concepts, issues, and knowledge about oil and gas. The training also involves critiquing and supporting the work of the trainees as they produce stories and explore the issues related to reporting on the petroleum sector.

In addition, there are travel bursaries for motivated reporters to enable them to build on their professional development in this field, and an annual prize for the best reporting on oil and gas.

Application Process

As this is a competitive process, places will be offered to candidates who make the strongest applications when addressing and providing the information listed below:TWO samples of stories (could be MP3/MP4, website) on oil, gas or mining that you have broadcast.

1. A short biography of no more than 200 words.
2. A brief statement of no more than 200 words explaining how deepening your journalistic understanding of oil and gas will contribute to your professional development and that of your media house.
3. A pitch for a story on extractives you would like to pursue: Who would you interview and why? What would be the angle and focus of the story? How does the story relate to your audience?
4. Contact information (mobile telephone number and email) for your editor or editorial supervisor.

Female journalists are particularly encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline: WEDNESDAY, 27 MARCH 2013

How to Apply:

Submit your application material by email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Copy in Rachel Mugarura-Mutana: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

--------------------

African Centre for Media Excellence

The African Centre for Media Excellence is a Kampala-based independent, non-profit professional organisation that is committed to excellence in journalism and mass communication in Africa. ACME’s main goal is to make the media a more effective platform for the provision of information on public affairs, a tool for monitoring official power, and a forum for vibrant public debate. ACME has a unique approach to continuing training and education. Instead of one-off workshops, which are common in the region, ACME employs a long-term approach in which practical training workshops are complemented by mentoring and coaching over a period of several months.

Country: Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda

Revenue Watch is offering journalists in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda an opportunity to expand and deepen their knowledge of the extractive industries through a six-month training program on covering the oil, gas and mineral sectors.

Without informed and responsive media providing oversight of the revenues from these industries, governance weakens and corruption rises. Moreover, citizens lack the knowledge to hold their governments accountable and are denied the opportunity to benefit fully from their country's natural resource wealth.

The application process is open to reporters across all media platforms in the three countries who are early- to mid-career practitioners. Success applicants will be sponsored and are those who will demonstrate a strong interest in reporting about the extractive sectors of oil, gas and minerals. To fill out an application now, go to www.revenuewatch.org/mediatraining2013.

This is the fourth class in the ongoing media training program which is conducted in partnership with Ghana-based Penplusbytes, Journalists’ Environmental Association of Tanzania, African Centre for Media Excellence in Uganda, and Thomson Reuters Foundation.

An Africa regional foundation workshop for all the participants will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 3-12 July. Three parallel follow-up national workshops will be held in October on dates yet to be determined.

RWI and its partners take a holistic approach to our journalist trainings, combining workshops, roundtable discussions and field trips with expert dialogues, mentorships, reporting grants and presentations on topical issues.

Applications for the upcoming class will be accepted through 30 April, 2013.

The Population Secretariat with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) announces the Media Awards 2012 for coverage of population and development issues. These issues include Reproductive Health, Gender, Population growth, Environment, Migration, Urbanization, Human resource and employment.

Entries are invited from journalists in the print and electronic media to compete for these awards. The entries should have been aired or been published in Uganda between August 2011 and August 2012.

Guidelines for submissions

(i) Entries should be clearly marked with entrant’s name, media House, email address and phone contact.

(ii) Non-English entries should be accompanied with an English translation.

(iii) Number of submitted entries per participant should not exceed five.

(iv) Duration of submission should not exceed 5 minutes per item for electronic media entries.

(v) Electronic media submissions should be either on VCD, DVD or audio CD.

(vi) Electronic media entries should include a short transcript.

(vii) Print media submissions should clearly show name of publication and date when article was published.

There will be a special category for upcountry journalists.

The winners will receive their awards during the launching of the State of Uganda and World Population Reports 2012, in November, 2012.

The deadline for submission of entries is September 4, 2012.

Entries clearly labeled “Media Awards 2012” can be posted or physically delivered to:

The Population Secretariat

Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development

Statistics House, 2nd floor

9 Colville Street

P.O. Box 2666, Kampala

The Magistrates Court on May 31 remanded a journalist with an online publication over a story he published, linking the Uganda government to the July 11 Kampala bomb blasts that killed 78 people. Mr Timothy Kalyegira was charged with criminal libel.

According to the charge sheet, the journalist is alleged to have unlawfully published a defamatory story in the Uganda Record, an online publication, with intentions of defaming President Museveni. He allegedly committed the offence between July 12 and 16 last year.

Mr Kalyegira denied the charges and was released on bail the next day after spending a night in jail. He returns to court on June 30 for mention of his case.

Passport withheld
Mr Kalyegira said his troubles began when he went to Kira Road Police Station, requesting for the release of his passport which was in their custody.

Mr Kalyegira said he wanted to travel to South Africa to attend a Google conference.

The police asked him to pick it but when he showed up, his police bond was cancelled and he was taken to court. Mr Rwakafuuzi explained that the charges against his client do not stand because criminal libel is the publication of some prohibited matter in a permanent form but for the case of Mr Kalyegira, the alleged publication was done via cyberspace and no one knows where he was geographically.

Bomb blasts
On July 11, at least 78 revellers were killed in twin bomb blasts at Kyandondo Rugby Club at Lugogo and the Ethiopian Village Restaurant at Kabalagala during the screening of the final World Cup football match between Spain and Netherlands.

Al-Shabab militants have since claimed responsibility for the attack.
The offence of criminal libel is being challenged in the Supreme Court on grounds that it is inconsistent with the Constitution. This means that no case of criminal libel can proceed until the Supreme Court pronounces itself on its constitutionality.

SOURCE: DAILY MONITOR

On Tuesday, June 7, Charles Mwanguhya and I honoured a police invitation to help in their investigation of leading opposition leader Kizza Besigye for his role in the walk-to-work protests that rocked Kampala mainly in April. The protests, over rising fuel, food and commodity prices, started on April 11. A week earlier, Dr Besigye had appeared as a guest on KFM’s Hot Seat talk show hosted by Charles. I have been a regular panellist on the show since February 2008. Detective Felix Turihamwe of the Special Investigations Unit, watched over by Detective Balaam Bwengye, recorded our statements in the presence of our lawyer James Nangwala. Also present was Ms Anne Abeja-Muhwezi, the company secretary of Monitor Publications, owners of KFM radio station. Charles had his statement recorded first as I waited outside the building. Possibly because Charles had not offered much, Detective Turihamwe changed tack, our lawyer noted during my questioning. The officer mixed direct questions with making assertions and inviting me to respond. Below was the general flow of our exchange. It lasted some 45 minutes:

Det: Your name?
Me: Bernard Tabaire.
Det: Your age?
Me: Old enough to be summoned to the police. (Our lawyer and the detective quickly reminded me that even juveniles are summoned.) Okay, I’m close to 40.
Det: We are about the same age.
Me: Thanks for volunteering that info., but you are not writing that down, are you?
Det: Your place of residence?
Me: Bunga [in the Makindye Division of Kampala].
Det: Aah, that is a wealthy place!
Me: Yeah, I want to be near the rich so I can get rich by osmosis.
Det: I am sure you are not renting.
Me: Thanks.
Det: Phone number?
Me: 0772…140.
Det: Tribe?
Lawyer: You should stop asking that question. It is useless. He is Ugandan. (The detective proceeded to guess what my tribe was on the basis of my name and flunked.)
Det: You are the co-host of Hot Seat?
Me: I am a regular panellist.
Det: Not co-host?
Me: Panellist. But co-host, panellist, it doesn’t really matter.
Det: I am reliably informed that you are the one who invited Besigye for the show.
Me: That is incorrect.
Det: Who invited him?
Me: As a panellist, I do not invite guests.
Det: So who invited him?
Me: I believe there is a system through which guests are invited.
Det: Did he find you in the studio?
Me: Maybe he did, maybe he did not. Generally, though, I try to get there before the guests.
Det: So he found you in the studio?
Me: I believe so.
Det: Are you informed of who the guests would be in advance?
Me: Obviously.
Det: And the subject of discussion, are you informed in advance?
Me: I am informed in advance so as to prepare.
Det: What did the debate centre on this time?
Me: Campaigns, elections – eh – voting, and the immediate aftermath.
Det: What questions did you ask, what answers did Besigye give?
Me: Listen to the recording or read the transcript that you already have.
Det (smiling): What did Besigye say were his future plans?
Me: Whatever he said is on the recording you have, on the transcript. (The trick was to get me to reveal what Besigye may have said off-air, during the commercial breaks.)
Det: This is the second time Besigye was appearing on Hot Seat since the February 18 elections.
Me: Ah, but I don’t remember. Maybe. I doubt it though. It’s like 2 months now – Jeez, I can’t recall. It was the first time, I believe.
Lawyer (interjects to save me from my rumbling): You don’t recall, that is your answer.
Me: I don’t recall.

All this time the detective was furiously scribbling away. At some point, without even raising his head away from the foolscap paper, he made a passing comment: “If you want to survive in Uganda today, don’t enter politics.” Was that meant as a warning to any of us? Did that mean he was taking our statements out of duty but otherwise he thinks Dr Besigye is being persecuted for simply being a politician, an ambitious one at that?

A bit of banter here and there followed. I was given the statement to read through and then sign. I obliged. End of business. But, hey, the cops were looking for any contradictions between my statement and Charles’ to see whether they could find a new line to pursue in their investigation of Dr Besigye. According to our lawyer, we did not contradict each other at all. The real purpose of the invite, though, was to explore the possibility of turning us, journalists, into state witnesses.

God forbid!

About the Author: Bernard Tabaire is ACME's Programmes Director. He is a former managing editor for weekend editions at the Monitor Publications in Kampala and also a columnist with the Saturday Monitor.

The Nation Media Group (NMG), East Africa’s biggest media organisation, has decided to hire a specialist to “enforce numerical accuracy” in response to a common problem in journalism—innumeracy.

“Our readers and television viewers have raised concern at the frequent inaccuracy of figures carried in NMG stories,” Joseph Odindo, the Editorial Director, wrote to the Group’s Kenyan newsrooms early this month. “We often get calculations wrong, undermining the credibility of the stories we publish.”

He said a specialist would be posted to the main newsroom floor “with immediate effect” to “cross-check figures and calculations in stories and ensure they are correct”.

In a major addition to the group’s editorial policy, sub-editors and managing editors will now be required to “refer numbers-laden stories” to the specialist for a “final check”.

I spoke to Odindo, a friend who I worked with closely when I was training editor at NMG, about the new development.
What causes this numeracy problem? “May be it’s the case that language competence grows in inverse proportion to our numeracy skills,” he joked. “May be the two are mutually exclusive.”

We had a good laugh over that.  But I forgot to tell him that our language competencies have also been attacked.

“On a serious note,” Odindo said, “it could be that people who end up in journalism are by nature not inclined to numbers.”

How big a problem is it?

“It’s a serious problem,” Odindo said.

Would hiring a specialist to “enforce numerical accuracy” fix the problem?

“It’s a short-term solution,” he said. “First of all we must do something about our gate-keeping”—which he admitted had slackened in recent years all over the world partly as a result of technological advancements and the growth of 24/7 news.

“But we must also help the individuals through providing them with training on ‘numbers for journalists,’” he added.

It is great that NMG acknowledges the problem of innumeracy in its newsrooms and that the group’s managers are doing something about it. In fact they should extend the same attention to Kampala and Dar es Salaam. NMG owns the Daily Nation, Business Daily, Taifa Leo, NTV, and Easy FM in Kenya; the Monitor, NTV, and KFM in Uganda; and Mwananchi Publications (publishers of The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers) in Tanzania. NMG also owns and publishes the regional newspaper, The East African.

Reporting about numbers is not a peculiarly East African problem. The challenge of innumeracy in the newsroom has been well documented. Writing about it, veteran American journalist Jack Hart once said: “In the grand scheme of things, most journalists rank numbers somewhere below cockroaches.” He added: “If the truth be told, a good number of us chose journalism as a college major because it allowed us to avoid math courses.”

Whatever the causes of the problem, our news media commit “crimes of numbers” almost on a daily basis. The categories of the “crimes” vary from computing percentages wrongly, presenting wrong conversions, through getting multiplications or divisions wrong.

A few months ago, a Ugandan newspaper reported about proposed electricity tariffs and said consumers would be required to pay 15 per cent more. I took out a calculator and using the same figures found out that the increase would in fact be 20 per cent. The same newspaper had earlier given David Beckham’s Bentley a value 10 times higher because the reporter (or sub-editor) got the conversion from the pound to the shilling wrong.  More recently another newspaper reported that “as of June 2010, illicit government borrowings from Bank of Uganda increased during the period by 25.8 per cent from Shs.25 trillion to Shs.3.1 trillion” (just in case you’re numerically challenged, note that a movement from 25 trillion to 3.1 trillion can’t be an increase. Note also that even if we assumed that the 3.1 trillion was a typo and the actual figure should have been 31 trillion this would suggest an increase of 24 per cent, not 25.8 per cent).

Some journalists get the numbers right, but the reader would require a Ph.D in economics or statistics to make sense of them. Their writing is simply not accessible and is often devoid of context. Others avoid numbers altogether, making it difficult for their audiences to make comparisons or understand claims, for instance, of increases or decreases in all manner of areas.

Yet, journalists can’t run away from numbers. Much of what they report is based on numbers. Election results, government budgets, corruption scandals, economic forecasts, environmental degradation forecasts, population growth, unemployment figures, food shortages, oil prices, name it. The news is full of numbers.

And that’s why Odindo is right. Hiring a specialist to cross-check stories for numerical accuracy is a stop-gap measure. One long-term solution would be newsroom and workshop-based training coupled with a sustained engagement between reporters and their editors on their attitudes towards numbers. Journalists don’t have to be or become mathematical geniuses, but they can and should improve their skills in reporting about numbers.

The African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), which I head, recognises the problem of innumeracy in the newsroom and we have included a module on “numbers and the news” in most of our training for journalists. A few months ago, the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) gave us financial support to extend this training to more journalists, especially those who report on health and development issues.

We kicked off the training in April with a workshop for senior editors. We were worried that if we invited only 15 editors as our budget required, we would get only eight. So we invited 25. They all showed up—on a rainy Kampala morning.

By the end of the training, we didn’t have to sell to them the idea of encouraging their reporters to attend the training. In fact, the editors recommended we increase the duration of the workshop from a day to two at the very minimum.

Then they nominated their reporters for the next training in May. We literally begged a half of the number we had invited to turn up. And about a half of them came late.

Our reward was the positive feedback from the keen reporters.  They want to come back for more training on numbers. And they want their copy editors to come along too.

***
To learn more about ACME’s News and Numbers workshops, click here
***

About the Author: Dr. Peter Mwesige is Executive Director of the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME). He has chaired the department of journalism and communication at Makerere University and is a former Executive Editor of the Monitor in Kampala.

Three Ugandan journalists won awards at the 2011 CNN Multichoice Africa Journalism Awards gala in Johannesburg on Saturday June 25.

The three were among 27 finalists from 13 African countries who were contesting for the prestigious awards under various categories of photography, print, television and radio.

The overall winner of the award was Kenya’s Fatuma Noor who works for The Star-Kenya. She wrote a three part investigative piece on ‘Al-Shabaab’. The story details the life of young Somali men who gave up their freedom abroad to return and fight for the ‘Al-Shabaab’ in Somalia.

Norman Katende, a freelancer for The New Vision newspaper scooped the Mohamed Amin Photographic Award for pictures taken during the Kampala bomb blasts in July 2010.

The judges said, “…these shocking, heart-breaking images won for news value, for flashing across the globe the pain of the Ugandan bomb-blasts that placed such a pall over the World Cup.”

Farouk Kayondo, news editor and chief anchor with the national broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation walked away with the Television News Bulletin award for a soccer story ‘Watching in the hood’.

The tourism award was won by Benon Herbert Oluka, a Daily Monitor senior reporter.

According to the judges, Oluka’s article on , ‘Why Ugandans would rather watch goat races than visit their national parks or heritage sites’ displayed a very well documented work on the reasons why Ugandans don’t go to visit their own museums and national sites.

While presenting the award, Ms Thandiwe January McLean, the chief executive officer of South Africa Tourism, commended African journalists for their “tireless effort in portraying the positive side of Africa amid a seemingly determined West that only tells the negative side of the continent.”

Another New Vision journalist, Nigel Nasser was also among the 27 finalists who were nominated for the awards.

The 'CNN African Journalist of the Year Competition' was established in August 1995 to encourage, promote and recognise excellence in African journalism.

With support from the MacArthur Foundation, the African Centre for Media Excellence is implementing a two-year media training programme for up to 40 suitably qualified radio journalists (reporters and editors) based in Uganda’s Albertine region. By Albertine region, we mean the districts of Amuru, Buliisa, Bundibugyo, Fort Portal, Hoima, Kanungu, Kasese, Masindi, Nebbi, Ntoroko, Nwoya, and Arua. Titled Enhancing Transparency in the Extractive Sector in Uganda through Information-provision and Knowledge-based Reporting, the programme is designed for journalists with a demonstrated interest in covering oil and gas issues. Its purpose is to promote accurate, knowledgeable, enterprising and investigative reporting that enhances transparency and accountability in Uganda’s emerging petroleum sector.

Training Programme

The training programme consists of two residential courses of six days each for each group of journalists. Note that not all 40 journalists are undertaking the training in one group. They do so in different groups. Those selected will form the second group of reporters and editors, the first group having recently completed training. The first course is conducted at the African Centre for Media Excellence training centre in Kampala, and will run from Monday, 22 April to Saturday, 27 April 2013. Successful candidates will be fully sponsored and must commit to completing all aspects of the programme.

The full course for each group runs over a period of about three months comprising a series of learning activities and professional support to trainees individually and collectively. This particular call targets radio reporters and editors – not talk show hosts/presenters. Talk show hosts/presenters will get a separate invitation to apply. Those reporters and editors who miss out will have to wait for yet another chance – they will be part of the third and final group.

Training Approach

The training methodology is a mixture of seminars, interviews, roundtable discussions, regular mentoring, field trips, workshops, and debates with experts. The training is interactive and practical with a focus on fundamental concepts, issues, and knowledge about oil and gas. The training also involves critiquing and supporting the work of the trainees as they produce stories and explore the issues related to reporting on the petroleum sector.

In addition, there are travel bursaries for motivated reporters to enable them to build on their professional development in this field, and an annual prize for the best reporting on oil and gas.

Application Process

As this is a competitive process, places will be offered to candidates who make the strongest applications when addressing and providing the information listed below:TWO samples of stories (could be MP3/MP4, website) on oil, gas or mining that you have broadcast.

1. A short biography of no more than 200 words.
2. A brief statement of no more than 200 words explaining how deepening your journalistic understanding of oil and gas will contribute to your professional development and that of your media house.
3. A pitch for a story on extractives you would like to pursue: Who would you interview and why? What would be the angle and focus of the story? How does the story relate to your audience?
4. Contact information (mobile telephone number and email) for your editor or editorial supervisor.

Female journalists are particularly encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline: WEDNESDAY, 27 MARCH 2013

How to Apply:

Submit your application material by email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Copy in Rachel Mugarura-Mutana: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

--------------------

African Centre for Media Excellence

The African Centre for Media Excellence is a Kampala-based independent, non-profit professional organisation that is committed to excellence in journalism and mass communication in Africa. ACME’s main goal is to make the media a more effective platform for the provision of information on public affairs, a tool for monitoring official power, and a forum for vibrant public debate. ACME has a unique approach to continuing training and education. Instead of one-off workshops, which are common in the region, ACME employs a long-term approach in which practical training workshops are complemented by mentoring and coaching over a period of several months.

Three Uganda English dailies have increased the cover prices after the persistent depreciation of the shilling against the dollar pushed production costs up.

The New Vision was first to announce its cover price increase on Tuesday from shs1200 to shs 1500 citing rising production costs.

Daily Monitor and Red Pepper followed suit on Wednesday with the former increasing from shs 1200 to shs 1500 while the later increased to shs 2000 from shs 1500.

Red Pepper’s sister publications, Kamunye and Entatsi now go for shs 1200 from 1000 and shs 800 from shs 500 respectively.

The prices of the weekend editions for all publications however remain the same.

“The costs of newspaper production have been rising, driven by the depreciation of the Uganda shilling against the dollar as well as increasing prices of newsprint and other materials like inks on the global market, all procured in dollars,” The Daily Monitor article reads.

Also, increasing fuel prices at home, the papers say, have pushed up transport costs.

“These costs may continue to rise into the future,” Mr Brian Mukisa, the marketing manager, Monitor Publications Ltd said.

The Red Pepper said that the publication was finding it impossible to continue business without a price increase.

“Around this time last year, we were buying newsprint at shs 2200 per kg, but today we shell out shs 2900 per kg and still rising,” Red Pepper’s business development director James Mujuni said.

The Red Pepper also says that the recent government decision to cut advertising expenditure by 50 per cent means that the publication has to increase prices, “to keep its head above the water.”

The publications have however assured their readers that even under the current economic pressures, the content will not be affected.

“We want to assure our readers that the content package the Daily Monitor offers will continue to be instrumental in the socio-economic development of Uganda as well as its democratisation through its Truth Everyday philosophy,” Mr Mukisa Brian, MPL’s marketing manager said.

“But the readers must be assured that we are working tirelessly to ensure that our newspapers give the readers top value for their money,” Mr Mujuni added.