Q&A; WITH RED PEPPER EDITOR ON OUTING ALLEGED HOMOSEXUALS

By: Nthateng Mhlambiso (BTM Managing Editor) 

UGANDA – 11 May 2009: News Editor of the Red Pepper, Ben Byarabaha vows that the tabloid, infamous for outing alleged homosexuals in Uganda by publishing their names, photographs and addresses each year, will continue its campaign against homosexuals for as long as the conduct is illegal in the country.

The tabloid is no stranger to controversy regarding its reports. Presently two of its editors are being tried on charges of defaming Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi on its February 5 story titled, “Gadaffi, Toro Queen in love” which alleged that Qaddafi is having an affair with a Ugandan Royal. 

In response to this about 30 Muslim sheiks and imams burned copies of the Red Pepper in a protest in Kampala on 17 February.

In April 2004 the tabloid was sent the Media Council of Uganda by Pastor Martin Ssempa for publishing his number without his knowledge on its classifieds section, as someone who was looking for a partner.

QUESTION AND ANSWER WITH BEN BYARABAHA – News Editor of the Red Pepper

BTM: What genre was this article, hard news or opinion piece? Because from reading the story one can clearly tell the journalist’s stand on homosexuality, neutrality does not seem to have been maintained and this is not supposed to be the case in news writing.

RED PEPPER:
The article was written in form of an opinion, leaving that aside, Homosexuality in Uganda is  illegal , there is no way the writer could have been neutral when actually what he or she was writing about is illegal.
Even if the writer had wanted to be neutral, there is no way he could have done so since these guys are always in hiding, they don’t want to come out and speak about the practice, they behave like thugs. 

BTM: Why is the byline of the journalist who wrote the story withheld?

RED PEPPER:
For security reasons, these guys have a lot of money and they can do anything. They have the capacity to harm my reporters.
Most corporate companies here are headed by homos, these are the guys who are spreading the vice. But this tabloid will continue to expose, they are always begging us to keep quite such that they can give advertising money but we don’t want, our circulation is big, 50,000 copies per day. The human race must move on to the next generation, how will it move on when all of us become homos and lesbians?

BTM: Which regulatory body in Uganda does the Red Pepper subscribe to?

RED PEPPER:
All bodies include the constitution of Uganda, we operate under the law.

BTM: How important is objectivity and maintaining neutrality as media practitioners in your publication?

RED PEPPER:
It depends on the context, like in the case of homos, whose actions are illegal, how do we ensure objectivity if these can’t speak out?  Let them come out and tell why they are practicing homosexuality, we shall publish.  However, in certain cases we try to be objective and fair.

BTM: Articles in the media often aim to inform, educate, raise awareness, etc, what was the purpose of this article?

RED PEPPER:
To tell the young generation that look, this practice is bad and colonial in nature. To tell the public that u can gain nothing from homosexuality, it’s a vice that is spreading at terrible speed. It’s the work of the media to educate the pubic that when u practice homosexuality, u look like this and we have done it, people are denouncing it at terrible speed.

BTM: Since this article exposes alleged gay and lesbian people in Uganda, who are minorities and who have in the past been victims of violence because of their sexual orientation, doesn’t this outing perpetuate further violence against this group?

RED PEPPER:
Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, whether the publication perpetuated violence against them, it’s none of our business, let them stop or go to countries where men marry fellow men. Before the government of Uganda legalises homosexuality, our campaign against the practice will continue.

BTM: Clause 7.2 of the Journalism code of Ethics by the Independent Media Council of Uganda states that “Publications about private lives of individuals , without their consent, are not acceptable except where public interest overrides the right to privacy” So did you get consent from the people whose private lives you have published? If you believe that the article was of public interest what makes it so? And if it was, what purpose does the explicit language used in the article serve?

RED PEPPER:
The public and the government are up in arms against the practice, we publish the article due to public demand. The language was not explicit as far as we are concerned here in Uganda, may be to South Africans.

BTM: Clause 19.1 of the Journalism code of Ethics by the Independent Media Council of Uganda says media shall not publish material that is intended to ridicule, or impute ridicule on disadvantaged and marginalised groups, is the article not doing exactly this?

RED PEPPER: 
Homos and gays are not listed in the Ugandan constitution as marginalised groups. They are not known and are not recognised.

BTM: Does the Red pepper aim to continue this “witch-hunting” even though concerned people across Africa say that, it is irresponsible reporting and culpable maligning which puts relationships and livelihoods of innocent individuals at risk?

RED PEPPER:
We are not witch-hunting anyone. We are just exposing the vice, the immorality from colonialists that is eluding African culture. As long as the practice is still illegal, we shall continue the campaign. I have been banned from traveling to some countries in Europe because of Red Pepper’s stand against homos.