Oulanyah urges media to stick to ethics

Mr Oulanyah asked journalists to stand their ground and avoid being compromised, especially while working on stories that can bring about social-economic development. Photo | Courtesy

What you need to know:

  • He also asked journalists to stand their ground and avoid being compromised, especially while working on stories that can bring about social-economic development.

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Jacob Oulanyah, has urged journalists to serve with humility and integrity.

While speaking during a thanksgiving service and launch of the Church of Uganda Media Association yesterday to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day, Mr Oulanyah appealed to media practitioners to stick to the journalism code of ethics as they execute their work if they are to be rewarded by both God and men.

He also asked journalists to stand their ground and avoid being compromised, especially while working on stories that can bring about social-economic development.

In his remarks at the event held at St Paul’s Cathedral Namirembe, Bishop Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira of Namirembe Diocese urged the media fraternity to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
Bishop Luwalira said journalists should always keep the spiritual and physical impact of their work in communities they serve.

 He urged them to stick to the fundamentals of being informative and educative to help foster development.
Meanwhile, the police have promised to sensitise their own officers about the rights of journalists as they go about their duties.

This is because several human rights reports, including the Human Rights Network for Journalists, continue to rank the police as the top violator of journalists’ rights.

In his message presented by police spokesperson Fred Enanga, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Martins Okoth-Ochola, commended journalists for the noble contribution towards development, but admitted that reporters at times operate in a hostile environment, including online threats.

“There are acts of violent assaults, online threats, but as the Uganda police we are more than prepared to see that we strengthen the working relationship that we have with the media, and we are continuing to sensitise our front line officers on how to work better with journalists,”  the IGP stated.