Be spin doctors for country, Tumwebaze tells journalists
Information minister Frank Tumwebaze (Left) greets Dr Aaron Mushengyezi, the dean School of Languages, Literature and Communication, as the head of Journalism department, Dr William Tayeebwa, looks on during the East Africa Communication Association conference in Makerere, Kampala, last Friday. Photo by Blanshe Musinguzi
What you need to know:
Foresight. Minister says journalists should get formal practical training like lawyers get
Kampala.
Information minister Frank Tumwebaze has challenged journalists and communication practitioners from East Africa to be spin masters of their own countries.
Mr Tumwebaze, while speaking at the annual East African Communication Association (EACA) conference organised by the Department of Journalism and Communication, Makerere University, at the weekend argued that journalists can disagree with governments but they should be patriotic and spin for their own countries.
The two-day conference was attended by communication specialists from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Nigeria, South Africa, America and Norway.
East Africa Communication Association brings together scholars, researchers and other people involved in communication studies to research on media in the region and its membership has been drawn from universities from the region.
“People from America [US]; Trump and Clinton can tear themselves into pieces but they are all united on the image of America. Let’s disagree on other issues, but let us be spin masters for our own countries…” he said, adding: “Journalists, reporters and editors in my view without prompting of State regulations should develop a patriotic culture of being able to discern what can hurt the image of our countries,” he added.
Mr Tumwebaze said he has been telling journalists that if they write screaming headlines that there is war in Uganda, which is not true, they would be hurting their own country.
He also asked journalists to shun stories that seek to brand the East Affrican Community wrongly and flaming it with sensational images. Mr Tumwebaze said such stories should be confronted and opposed by all media practitioners.
He argued that practicing journalists need a training school like the Law Development Centre.
“We will have discussion. If you think it is right, we move through Parliament and government and we have a school of journalism set up and guided by what you think is right. I will be open to discuss the proposal with you,” Mr Tumwebaze told the communicators.
Disagreeing
The head of the Mass Communication Department at Uganda Christian University in Mukono, Ms Monica Chibita, disagreed with Mr Tumwebaze.
She said journalism schools are doing their best to produce professional journalists.
“The journalism institutions are doing their best. That I can say with confidence. I don’t know the gaps that the minster has identified,” Ms Chibita said.
Mr Tumwebaze said the school can equip journalists who enter the profession without specialised training.
Mr Tumwebaze said the ministry will launch monthly open government sessions where each ministry or government department will take their turn to account to the citizens about their mandate, activities and respond to questions.
