This report is the fifth in a series analysing how Ugandan media reports on road safety. Covering the period from March 2023 to May 2024, it examines content from three daily newspapers, three television stations and two online platforms. The report evaluates the volume of stories, types of articles, reporting formats, topics covered and sources used.
Produced by the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) in partnership with the Global Road Safety Partnership, this work is part of a larger effort to enhance the role of the media in promoting road safety policy. It builds on earlier studies and aims to improve public understanding and engagement with road safety issues by encouraging comprehensive and balanced reporting.
The report reveals that newspapers publish more stories on road safety than other platforms. However, the majority of the coverage is event-based, centred on road crashes, and is presented as straightforward news without much variety in format. Few stories appear on front pages, and reporting rarely explores road safety challenges in depth or goes beyond conventional approaches. Speeding is commonly cited as the primary cause of crashes, while other contributing factors receive limited attention.
Download, here, the final report on Ugandan media coverage of road safety 2024.
ACME’s past reports on media coverage of road safety
- 2021 Baseline Report on Media Coverage of Road Safety – This foundational study analysed how Ugandan media covered road safety issues before targeted interventions began. It provided key benchmarks for understanding the volume, nature and focus of reporting on road traffic incidents and related policies.
- 2022 Endline Report on Media Coverage of Road Safety – This follow-up report assessed changes in media reporting on road safety after capacity-building efforts by ACME and its partners. It highlighted shifts in coverage patterns, including improvements and persisting gaps in reporting road safety policies and incidents.
- 2023 Summary Report of Media Coverage of Road Safety – This concise report summarised the findings of earlier studies, and offered an overview of new trends in road safety reporting. It aimed to inform stakeholders of progress made and ongoing challenges in using media to promote safer roads.
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Feature image credit: Photo by Emma Photography: https://www.pexels.com/photo/27731043/
