JOURNALISTS THREATENED

I was seated in a meeting and a gentleman gave a definition that stunned me. He described a good journalist as one who reports what he likes and a bad one as someone who writes what he does not want. Any way i was stunned to an extent coz that is a perception of all politicians. Now what is even more amazing is, that kind of person would come up and tell you he has come up with measures to regulate the media.

There was a media policy dialogue i was attending in Kampala at Hotel Africana and one of the journalists revealed that they had received an order from the Jinja Resident District Commissioner who is a representative of the President in that area to write their full name, E-mail address[es], telephone number[s], postal address and Physical residential address all submitted to the RDC's office at a given deadline.This was to be done on individual basis and it was an order to be followed by all the journalists in the region.

It is just a week after that incident and am now in Jinja. Guess what, it is the same RDC who is officiating at the opening of a workshop we have organised on environmental reporting. Before he begins his speech, he is provoked by the workshop mobiliser to give a comment on that matter. Am seated next to him and he says "The reason why i asked for your details is because i want to guard you aganist quack journalists who have thronged your profession". Just wait a second.

What will be the criteria followed in describing one quack? Does it mean that the media lacks its own regulators as a profession? Most important is, if you consider such a vague definition of a journalist, are'nt journalists at a risk of being stopped from operating if they expose what government didnt want to be exposed, all in the name of "quack"? Dont you think so?