MEDIA MUST PUT PEOPLE FIRST BEFORE MONEY

By Nthateng Mhlambiso (BTM Editor)

This continuing trend of outing lesbian and gay people in Uganda by the Red Pepper is not funny at all, in fact it is a disgrace to the journalism profession.

Universally, the media works to inform, educate, raise awareness, empower citizens etc. but I am struggling to understand the purpose of an article published by the Red Pepper on 19 April, exposing names and pictures of people it claims are gay in Uganda.

I don’t know where this Red Pepper writer learnt his or her tabloid journalism but I think the editor should have known better not to publish news about people’s private lives and their perceived HIV and AIDS statuses without their consent.

Even worse the article lacked basic principles of journalistic writing such as objectivity, fairness, accuracy, I won’t even mention balance because the article just aimed to dramatically expose innocent people, no sources were interviewed.

More depressing is that Uganda’s Journalism Code of Ethics justifies publishing of such articles.

Clause 7.3 of Uganda’s Journalism Code of Ethics by the Independent Media Council of Uganda states “it is justified to publish information about (private lives of) individuals where this is for detecting or exposing seriously antisocial conduct.

I am quite sure that the Red pepper justifies their reporting based on this but if I were the editor I would take time to ask myself: what could go wrong if I did not publish this article? , then ask myself again: what could go wrong if I published this story?

If he did this I am sure he would come up with a wiser decision.

Even though the Ugandan code of ethics protects this kind of reporting it also prescribes that the media shall not publish material that is intended to ridicule, or impute ridicule of disadvantaged and marginalized groups and that a journalist has the responsibility for the accuracy, fairness and balance of the information he or she disseminates.

Now these are important guiding principles that the Red Pepper totally ignored when that article was written.

I know that public interest, in most cases, overrides people’s right to privacy, but I believe the media also has a responsibility to report in a manner that will not perpetuate violence against and marginalization, particularly of vulnerable groups.

Tabloidisation sells, yes! but for once can media put people’s lives first before money?

The Universal Declaration of Human rights states “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression which includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers” but isn’t the media taking this media freedom thing too far?