We will not sacrifice our editorial independence for anything, NMG CEO
Monitor Publications Limited's Managing Director Tony Glencross addresses advertisers in a breakfast meeting organised by the NMG. Looking on is the group's CEO Mr Joseph Muganda. Photo by Dominic Bukenya.
Nation Media Group (NMG) chief executive officer, Mr Joseph Muganda has reaffirmed the group’ s commitment in defending its editorial independence and the media freedoms in general, saying it cannot be sacrificed for anything.
Speaking to advertisers in a breakfast meeting organised by the NMG, Mr Muganda said the editorial independence of all the NMG subsidiaries across the region will be guarded jealously for it is what distinguishes its bold and credible journalism from the rest.
He said an advert and public relation (PR) contents will be treated and labeled as such so as not to be confused with what the editors deems as news.
He said: “We will safeguard our independence at all cost. We will not compromise on that because the consumers will abandon us.”
He continued: “Adverts and public relation contents will be labeled and we will defend the judgement of our editors.”
Weighing in on the matter, the managing director of Monitor Publications, Mr Tony Glencross, said the impact of public relation stories are more costly than many people realise. Just like Mr Muganda, Mr Glencross said said newspaper is judged by its quality and credibility which public relation stories appear to erode.
The managing director of NTV Uganda, Ms Agnes Konde, challenged the public relation practitioners to make use of other several NMG digital and online platforms which has since become vibrant channels of new media.
She also told the public relation practitioners to package what they want published beyond handing over a “cheque and handshakes”.
It further emerged in the meeting held with advertisers and public relation professionals in a Kampala hotel that NMG is integrating its efforts and platforms to in an effort to maximise advertisers’ value for money and also cope with new era of technology.
“Digital space is where everybody is going and that is where we are also going with all our products. We will continue to find out what consumers want and give it to them,” Mr Muganda said.
