Humanist

In reaction to a story tiled: ” Understand gender-based sexual violence to better report”, and published on the CPAR Uganda website, a veteran journalist, Opolot, had this to say:

“From the time social media provided everyone a platform to be a “journalist” everything changed! I no longer go for sharp headlines!

Recently, (after the death of Tamale Mirundi) an online news site had a headline, “dark secrets of what killed Mirundi, the poison, the people involved.” I swung into reading, only to find nothing but a copied article from another source announcing the death and nothing else!

What most online websites do is just copy and paste and in what appears to be their editing ends up being fact distortion, they do this to try to look different from the original story they copied from. So, to me it’s no surprise that this story got written like this.

Another important point you raise is something that has actually eaten up our journalism, they are used to distort and exonerate suspects. You will find some of stories like this and if you cross checked with the investigation file at different justice law and order offices, they are alike!

This raises suspicion of duty bearers colluding. Implying there was an agreed position between the journalist and those justice law and order bodies. You read the story and you basically get to know the final judgement from it.

The objectivity in most “media personnel” died some years ago! People are just paid to write these stories.

These are my personal opinions and observations which can be wrong! I have no proof to provide.”

Opolot need not worry about him personally not having proof to provide. Seemingly, rights lawyer and activist, Issac Ssemakadde agrees with Opolot. He shared the story on X, captioned:

“Harassing and intimidating victims of sexual & gender-based violence to settle with the agressor and not take the matter forward: an every day crime committed by Uganda Police Force Officers and their enablers in the media and the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution.”

Dear journalists, a reminder and food for thought:

“Everything you write matters to the public, including where you place a comma or full stop so that the public gets your intended message.” Ben Opolot, Former Managing Editor Vision Group, quoted in “Restore ethics in society – journalists told,” published in the New Vision.

And in keeping with today’s WordPress DailyPromt: “Where does your name come from?”; be reminded that “Journalist comes from the Old French jornel, “day” or “day’s work,” which became journal, “daily publication.”

There is one particular media house, that a woman of substance, Eseza, has confidence in its journalism and daily publications. She wrote:

“This story, you need to bring it to the attention of NTV Uganda. When it is on national news action will be taken. It is important to get NTV to report it and get justice for the girl. Someone needs to answer for these things that are happening in the police. The people who are able to put others to task are NTV, because NTV has a really big and influential audience.”

NTV Uganda, I ask you please to investigate and cover the story of the 14-years old who was says she was repeatedly raped, impregnated and abandoned with child, by a police officer.