US ambassador warns against silencing media

Kampala

A day after the government announced plans to clampdown on some sections of the media targeting major broadcasting houses to stop inciting the public to cause violence, the US diplomat on Thursday warned against arm-twisting the media and free speech.

The US ambassador to Uganda, Jerry P. Lanier yesterday warned: “Silencing ideas does not make them go away. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and a critical component of functioning democracies. We must engage in a constructive dialogue to move forward. A free media – both traditional and online – empowers that essential engagement.”

Ambassador Lanier was speaking at the journalism award gala held in Kampala to mark the end of the US government-funded Peace Electoral and Development Journalism Project (PEDJ). Park University Communications Professor Steven Youngblood, a recipient of a $260,000 US State Department and USAID grant, has coordinated the project since July 2010. The main objective of the project, which consisted of a series of PEDJ trainings, was to foster the development of media practitioners who promote peace in their regions.

The trainings also encouraged citizens to participate in peace initiatives and created synergy between the media and their communities by promoting peace before, during, and after the recent elections in Uganda. The PEDJ trainers conducted over 25 seminars on peaceful electoral reporting and reached over 320 radio journalists and hosts throughout Uganda.

In addition, they conducted six seminars for more than 100 radio station owners and managers nationwide. Ambassador Lanier said the US Mission is committed to promoting a free and independent media in Uganda. “Freedom of the press is vital for a successful democracy, good governance, and helps to ensure and protect basic human rights,” he said. “The US Mission to Uganda is focused on maintaining a good relationship with Uganda’s journalists and will continue its contributions to the professional development of the Ugandan media corps.”

Daily Monitor reported yesterday that the government had affirmed that it was already working on a law to regulate the broadcast media in the country, a revelation by the Information Minister Kabakumba Masiko that confirmed media fears which emerged last year about a looming clampdown on constitutionally-guaranteed media freedoms.

Ms Masiko, while appearing before the House Presidential Affairs Committee with a team headed by Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi, said by clamping down on the media, the government was not moving to censor news.