John Matovu Aminah Zawedde Das Pamela and Herbert Ruhunde.pdf

5 

ICT and Journalism: 

Challenges and Opportunities for the 

Media in Uganda 

John Matovu 7 ; Aminah Zawedde 8 ; Das Pamela 9 ; and Herbert Ruhunde 10 

The media convergence fever is being felt throughout the fi eld of journalism practice 

around the globe. Convergence, media cross-ownership and multimedia newsrooms 

are becoming increasingly part of the vocabulary of contemporary journalism—in 

practice, education, as well as research. The literature exploring multimedia is 

expanding rapidly but it is clear that it means many different things to different 

people. Research into what multimedia in news work means for journalism and 

journalists is proliferating [Deuze, 2004]. The discourse on the concept of convergence 

is a result of ICTs and how they have transformed journalism and communication 

from what it was three to four decades ago to a form of journalism where those who 

used to be the audience are active players at various levels of message production, 

diffusion and feedback. This paper: (1) discusses how ICTs have been integrated 

into the media industry; (2) identifi es the strategic applications of ICTs in the media 

environment; (3) profi les the journalists’ strengths, limitations and opportunities in 

ICT application among other issues. 

Key Words: Citizen Journalism, Internet, Online Journalism, Multimedia, ICTs 

Introduction 

The ability of information communication technologies to transform journalism 

practice cannot be underestimated because these technologies present immense 

opportunities for information processing, storage and retrieval. 

Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have compelled media 

institutional reorganization in the developed world which effect is trickling to 

the developing world. They have become lifeblood of any successful business and 

professional operation and journalism is no exception. To remain competitive 

and relevant, journalism operations need to adopt information communication 

technologies in their business strategies. 

Considering that traditional newspaper readers have access to computers and 

7 School of Computing and Informatics Technology, Department of Information Technology, 

Makerere University, P. O. Box 7062 Kampala, Uganda; Email: matovu04@yahoo.com 

8 ibid; Email: sazawedde@gmail.com 

9 ibid; Email: daspamela2001@yahoo.com 

10 ibid; Email: herbertruhunde@gmail.com 

49

50 Strengthening the Role of ICT in Development Volume VIII 

other interactive mobile technologies, newspaper operations have no choice but to 

design strategies best suited to reach the mobile and computer networked reader. 

When designing such strategies newspaper operations need to exploit various 

multimedia channels to complement their stories such as games, visuals (video 

& images) and text. In the past, traditional newspapers could only tell stories 

through text and images, but now the advent of new media technologies allows 

journalists to tell stories in multiple channels. This increases the credibility of the 

story. It also allows users (readers), to become active participants in information 

creation [Rambau 2010]. 

The main offspring of ICTs is the Internet, which over the past decade has 

enabled geographically isolated journalists to contact distant regions for research, 

and in turn, to network with their overseas counterparts and, consequently, 

publish their articles globally [Hang 2005]. This has to an extent empowered and 

‘emancipated’ journalists working in a regulated media environment. 

Fig. 1: Three different illustrations of the Internet as a global network 

[Source: Google Images] 

This paper: (1) discusses how ICTs have been integrated into the media industry; (2) 

identifi es the strategic applications of ICTs in the media environment; (3) profi les 

the journalists’ strengths and limitations in ICT application; (4) highlights the 

challenges and opportunities ICTs pose to professional journalism practice. This 

paper also discusses the changing roles of a journalist within the ICT journalism 

operation and makes some recommendations on how to cope in an apparently 

threatening environment. The paper focuses on the period 2001- 2011 looking 

at how information and communication technology has impacted journalism 

practice. 

Journalists in the rich industrialized world have long integrated ICTs in 

their daily work. Most research on ICT applications to journalism has therefore

Part 1: Information Communication T echnology for Development 51 

been conducted in the rich industrialized nations. However, research on how 

ICTs have or have not transformed the media in developing economies, [Hang, 

2005] for instance in Uganda, is plainly lacking, for reasons ranging from 

inaccessibility to primary research subjects and the lack of interest by funding 

organizations, to inadequate in-country research expertise and low research 

priority given to the fi eld. 

Information Communication Technologies (ICTs): 

ICT refers to the technologies which are being used for collecting, storing, 

editing and disseminating information in various forms. It is a combination of 

manufacturing and services industries that capture, transmit, display data and 

information electronically. 

According to Dadebo [2006], ICTs are basically information handling tools 

– a varied set of goods, applications and services that are used to produce, store, 

process, distribute and exchange information and they include radio, scanners, 

photocopiers, cell phones, digital cameras, recorders (video, audio etc.), television 

and telephone, computers (others however look at these as devices not technologies 

per se) and the internet as well as satellite and wireless technology. With appropriate 

content and applications the ICT tools combine to form a “network world”. 

Fig. 2: L-R; The cell phone, digital camera, laptop and modem are some 

of the ICT tools that have changed journalistic work 


The new, more advanced forms of ICT include networked computers, satellite 

sourced communication, wireless technology and the Internet. A feature of these 

technologies is their capacity to be networked and interlinked to form a ‘massive 

infrastructure of interconnected telephone services, standardized computing 

hardware, the Internet, radio and television, which reach into every corner of the 

globe’ [Baryamureeba 2007].


Journalism 

Journalism involves the investigation and reporting of events, trends and issues to 

a large audience. 

There seems to be consensus among scholars in the fi eld of journalism studies 

that what typifi es more or less universal similarities in journalism can be defi ned 

as a shared occupational ideology among news workers which functions to selflegitimize 

their position in society. 

Deuze [2007] suggests that journalists identify themselves more easily with the 

profession of journalism than for example with the medium or media company 

that employs them. Key characteristics of this professional self-defi nition can be 

summarized as a number of discursively constructed ideal-typical values. 

Golding and Elliott [1979]; Merritt [1995]; and more recently Kovach and 

Rosenstiel [2001] describe these as: 

• Public service: journalists provide a public service (as watchdogs or 

‘newshounds’, active collectors and disseminators of information); 

• Objectivity: journalists are impartial, neutral, objective, fair and (thus) 

credible; 

• Autonomy: journalists must be autonomous, free and independent in their 

work; 

• Immediacy: journalists have a sense of immediacy, actuality and speed 

(inherent in the concept of ‘news’); 

• Ethics: journalists have a sense of ethics, validity and legitimacy. 

It is important to note here that these values can be attributed to other professions or 

social systems as well, and that these values are sometimes inevitably inconsistent or 

contradictory. To journalists this generally does not seem to be a problem, as they 

integrate such values into their debates and evaluations of the character and quality 

of journalism. In doing so, journalism continuously reinvents itself – regularly 

revisiting similar debates (for example on commercialization, bureaucratization, 

‘new’ media technologies, seeking audiences, and concentration of ownership) 

where ideological values can be deployed to sustain operational closure, keeping 

outside forces at bay. It is from this same premise that the discourse about citizen 

journalism emerges. 

Citizen Journalism: 

Citizen journalism is the concept of members of the public playing an active role 

in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and 

information (it is also known as “public”, “participatory”, democratic or “street 

journalism”) 

Citizen journalism is one of the hottest buzzwords in the news business these 

days. Many news executives are probably thinking about implementing some sort 

of citizen-journalism initiative; a small but growing number have already done so.


But there’s plenty of confusion about citizen journalism. What exactly is 

it? What is it not? Is this something that’s going to be essential to the future 

prosperity of news companies? 

Outing [2005] argues that in his conversations and communications with 

editors, he senses plenty of confusion about the concept. There’s enthusiasm about 

experimenting in some quarters — about harnessing the power of an audience 

permitted for the fi rst time to truly participate in the news media. But mostly I 

hear concern and healthy skepticism. 

Outing argues that citizen journalism is not one simple concept that can be 

applied universally by all news organizations. It’s much more complex, with 

many potential variations. 

ICT and Economic growth 

Development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has 

transformed the contemporary business environment. It has led to a new 

information economy which is digital in nature. ICT is a broad terminology 

referring to multiple communication technologies which range from simple 

and complex namely Cell Phone applications (SMS), Digital Cameras, Internet, 

Wireless (WiFi and WiMAN), VOIP,GPS, GIS, Convergence (data, voice, media), 

and Digital radio. 

These technologies are creating a new global market place, which is more 

competitive. With e-commerce and e-business the market across sectors has more 

opportunities and possibilities than ever before. The ability to reach a global 

audience, obtain instant market information and conduct electronic business 

transactions has increased economic effi ciency and has opened markets for goods 

and services from the developing world [Shanker, 2008]. This applies to journalism 

practice. 

The Media Industry 

In Uganda there is a high incidence of radio ownership in low-income communities, 

which indicates that it is a low cost communications technology that many 

people can afford. There is also a relatively high incidence of mobile phone 

ownership in low-income communities in Uganda. TV is also important as a 

means of communication where people of low incomes have access to electricity 

[Baryamureeba, 2007]. 

The fi rst commercial private radio station in Uganda came on air in December 

1993. The growth of the sector has been dramatic ever since. From December 

1996 to March 2007 for example the number of FM licences shot from 14 to 158 

and that of private TV stations from 4 to 32. Today over 200 radio stations are 

licensed. 

Community ICT facilities such as community radio, and community television 

exist and should be encouraged as they play a signifi cant role in preserving and 

providing access to cultural information and other resources. They can promote


the traditions and heritage of ethnic and marginalized groups and help to keep 

their language, indigenous knowledge and way of life and livelihood alive and 

active. 

The key factors responsible for the different ICT take-up rates in Africa are: 

per capita income, language, levels of education (illiteracy), internal digital divide 

within the African continent, restrictive regulatory framework, poverty and 

the lack of infrastructure and the rural concentration and dispersed nature of a 

country’s population. In general, the lower a country’s per capita income, the 

less likely its population is to have access to both old and new information and 

communication technologies [Baryamureeba, 2007]. 

Key factors for using ICT in the media 

Today ICTs are seen as a basic tool for survival as they enhance effi ciency in the 

workplace. ICTs have the ability to increase the ease and speed of communication 

as well as overcoming the problem of transportation of messages over long 

distances. ICTs also help journalists reach out to colleagues in other parts of the 

world and keep them up to date with developments on the world scene. 

In Uganda, a national ICT policy framework was set up in 2002 to ensure 

the optimum utilization of information to foster social economic development. 

The policy focuses on three areas: Information as a resource for development, 

mechanisms for accessing information and ICT as an industry. The policy 

recognizes that the three areas are not mutually exclusive. 

While several policies and legislations like “Uganda Access to Information Act 

(2005)”, “Telecommunications Sector Policy (1996)” and “The Communications 

Bill (2007)” have been put in place, gaps exist when one looks at access to 

information broadly. For example, the Rural Communications Development 

Fund (RCDF) is not funding broadband access and it has largely offered subsides 

for the establishment of services at district headquarters which are mostly urban 

or semi-urban ignoring the needs of the rural and underserved population who are 

its primary constituency, according to Mugira [2007]. 

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ministry was formed 

in 2006; however, even with an entire ministry in place, there is lot more to be 

done in enabling access, use and application of ICTs to the majority of Ugandans. 

According to a 2011 World Bank report, Internet users in Uganda were reported 

at 4,178,085 in 2010; 3,165,582 in 2009; and 2,475,812 in 2008. 

Though progress is slow, there are sectors where ICTs have registered 

tremendous impact in the way things are being done and one of these is the 

journalism profession. To their credit, some Ugandan media houses have 

established a strong online presence. Radio stations, television stations and the 

print media have all registered a presence in cyberspace. These media houses have 

continued to be veritable sources of news and information to Ugandans at home 

and abroad. It can be said therefore that the Ugandan media are measuring up 

with their counterparts in other parts of the world by their maintaining strategic 

presence on the information super highway.


However, this comparison with the Western media stops with just the 

Internet sites some Ugandan media houses have managed to set up. Many other 

ICT facilities and resources are still largely unavailable to Ugandan journalists, 

for example company sponsored laptop computers with mobile Internet access, 

digital recording devices, open access mobile telephones, plus salaries that take 

into consideration global trends, market prices and national infl ation rates. 

Transition in the media industry – How ICTs have been integrated in 

the Media 

Information communication technologies, particularly the birth of the 

Internet, has turned everyone into a journalist. Today everyone can write 

stories and publish online without actually having to be in a newsroom 

operation. According to Rosales, there are two unique features which the 

Internet offers: citizen participation and dialogue in real-time” [Rosales 2006]. 

To journalism, information communication technologies offer alternative forms 

of communication which in turn increases the opinion base and platforms for 

a diversity of views. Access to diverse information sources helps the citizens to 

make thoroughly informed decisions. 

There is open source software that allows users to publish information on 

the desktop such as blogger. Web 2.0 applications such as blogs are one of the 

tools which citizens use to document their stories and it has also become an 

important communication tool for journalists and its role in journalism cannot 

be overlooked. Ahiabenu [2007] noted that “the key benefi t of Web 2.0 is the 

provision of an easy way for users to collaborate and share documents and data 

with others, which can help speed up the rate at which ideas are generated, 

processed and utilized”. For example, anyone who has the power and energy to 

produce content can become a blogger. Bloggers, like most newspaper operations 

set the agenda for their blogs. In other words, they choose a subject which 

they want to write on. They further link their blogs with news sites carrying 

content which complements their blogs. It is important to note that blogs are 

ICT applications which are free to all, including journalists and their role in 

journalism cannot be underestimated. This is because whilst it is costly to set up 

an online news operation, it is free to set up a blog. All that one need is access 

to Internet and computer hardware; through this ICTs are making entry into the 

journalism trade much easier and will potentially increase plurality and diversity 

of media content. Of course this ability for everyone to publish unmediated 

content poses challenges to the established journalistic practice of gate-keeping. 11 

Another crucial advantage of ICTs in journalism is for research and communication 

purposes. In the past one had to access information in paper format. Accessing 

information also meant that one had to be in a library. When communicating one 

11 

Gatekeeping is the process through which information is fi ltered for dissemination, be it publication, broadcasting, 

the Internet, or some other type of communication.


could in the past only communicate via faxes, telegrams and postal mails. In the 

case of research, doing research in the past was time consuming and quite a lengthy 

process. Communicating with research stakeholders or sources was also a time 

consuming process [Randall, 1996]. The advent of computers and particularly 

Internet meant that it has become easier for journalists to research stories online 

and to also reach sources making news online [Randall, 1996]. The challenge is 

for journalists to identify authentic websites because as more and more people are 

publishing on desktop, journalists run the risk of being trapped in the information 

glut. In other words, where journalists cannot verify the authenticity of particular 

sinister websites, they will run the risk of misinforming their readers, thus losing 

credibility. 

Where there are no guidelines for good journalism practice in online journalism 

operations, information communication technologies will erode the ethics of 

journalism. Online journalists need to apply the ethics of journalism online. 

Applying such ethics in an online journalism environment seems to be a daunting 

challenge facing online journalism operations. Bradley Osborn noted in his research 

paper “Ethics and Credibility in Online Journalism” that the immediacy brought 

by the online environment, a medium which everyone is a potential publisher, 

allows for even less deliberation by the journalist and editor. Osborn argues “online 

journalists have received little or no attention from researchers, perhaps few , pure 

online journalistic efforts exist, compared to the wealth of trivia, entertainment, 

personal communication and pornography” [Osborn, 2001]. It is important to 

note that Osborn’s argument in this regard suggests that journalists should strictly 

adhere to the ethical code of journalism practice especially because the public is 

losing trust in journalism. 

Another most important role of ICTs in journalism is content management 

systems which allow for journalism operations to manage information and 

knowledge effi ciently. Content management systems and knowledge management 

systems can be used interchangeably. There is no universal standard defi nition 

of knowledge management but generally it refers to techniques which can be 

applied for the systematic collection, transfer, security and management of 

information within organizations [Ahiabenu, 2007]. ICTs have the ability to 

facilitate knowledge management in the newsrooms. Ahiabenu [2007] identifi ed 

strategies for knowledge management using technology as; developing a mission 

statement for news organizations and creating a resource of useful information 

and knowledge easily available on demand to all newsroom staff. 

To effi ciently set up an online knowledge management resource centre, 

Ahiabenu [2007] suggests that newsrooms should identify the types of knowledge 

management systems relevant to their news operation such as copy archive, 

commercial databases, databases of experts in specialist areas, wikis, intranet, 

Wires, and content routing software. It is apparent that the implementation of 

ICTs in journalism such as knowledge management systems driven by technology 

will save the journalism operation not only information but the costs for research,


time and will also enhance information management in the newsroom. To a 

certain extent, media houses in Uganda have seized these opportunities though in 

many cases erratically i.e. without clear policies in place to guide integration and 

usage. 

ICTs have had several effects on journalism in Uganda, some of them seen 

as advantages while others as disadvantages. As noted by Mugira [2007] “the 

computer and the modem, along with many other ICT hardware and software 

innovations and services, have placed us at a high point of a very signifi cant 

stage of development in the history of human communication, often called, ‘the 

information society’, and have transformed the way many men and women work 

in the media and entertainment industries”. This points to the fact that ICTs have 

brought about signifi cant changes in the journalism. 

ICT has led to the generation of more and well researched news. With the 

mobile phone, you can call your news sources at anytime and get news. The 

Internet has ensured that news and program backgrounders are always available 

on whatever topic. 

The Internet has surely transformed the newsroom to greater heights. ICTs 

for example have made reporters, editors and other news contributors closer. It 

has created a ‘network 'that leaves reporters and editors in close contacts at all 

times. Likewise, reporters fi le stories at any given time from any given part of 

Uganda where there is Internet access. This helps cut down on transport fares for 

the reporter from the fi eld and back to his/her duty station. It is worth noting 

that ICT has made communication process participatory. It is no longer only the 

journalist who is involved in this fi eld, but the audience too. The local people 

affected are also part and parcel of the communication process. In other words, 

ICT has helped to bring closer communicators and receivers to the extent that 

feedback is swift. 

We cannot forget to mention that ICTs have made the work of a journalist 

easier. Getting stories from different various and distant areas like foreign news 

is now easy; you simply visit a website and the world unfolds. Simon Muyanga 

Lutaaya, an editor at NBS television, adds that, "journalists can now send in their 

reports easily from any part of Uganda where there is Internet access. All they 

need to do is carry along their laptop and modem, smartphone or tablet and at the 

touch of a button, the story is at the editor’s desk, ready to be served fresh to the 

readers." 

To some extent, photojournalists in Uganda are now able to use Internet 

facilities such as emails to upload and email their pictures to their newsrooms 

from distant locations. The internet has really made their job easier. This 

explains the improved quality of pictures although in some instances there have 

been complaints about the manipulating of images by journalists. 

In most media houses in Uganda, notepads and blue pens are tools that now belong 

to the past, although to the under-resourced media organizations some journalists 

have continued to cling onto such relics of the past. ICTs have made broadcasting


easy, clear and standard. Uganda is now talking about digital migration which 

comes with various advantages. According to Engineer Godfrey Mutabazi, the 

Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) Executive Director, “the adoption 

of digital broadcasting in Uganda will enable television viewers to enjoy improved 

reception quality, a larger variety of channels, enhanced broadcasting applications 

like the Electronic Program Guide, multimedia data and entertainment services, 

all this capped with more effi cient use of the spectrum in the country.” 

Mutabazi adds that, “the existing and future broadcasters will also reap the 

benefi ts from reduced installations and transmission costs, and superior technology 

in their operations. Digital broadcasting also presents an added opportunity for 

local content development since it will be a core part of the migration effort. In 

addition it will provide viewers with an opportunity to access newer and cheaper 

pay TV channels.” 

But the benefi ts to the Ugandan journalist are not only limited to this. 

Many companies for example are harnessing the exposure to social sites for 

product news and information and Ugandan journalists use these as news sources 

as well as to verify information and establish facts. 

The internet has also provided Ugandan journalists with international 

exposure, as they can fi le a story from the remotest part of Uganda and the story 

posted on the Internet, this then exposes their writing style, journalistic ethics and 

professionalism to the scrutiny of both national and international audiences. 

Other opportunities include: 

• Uncensored news platforms like independent websites and blogs 

• Another interesting trend that has emerged in journalism practice in 

Uganda as regards the Internet is the rise of independent media. These 

Internet sites are now competing with the established newspapers’ 

websites in the provision of news and information to Ugandans locally 

and internationally. Some of the popular independent websites include 

radiokatwe.com and ugandacorresponndent.com, etc. While some of these 

independent websites are national in outlook, there are also many of them 

that appeal only to particular ethnic audiences. 

• Other independent websites focus on addressing critical issues in the 

practice of journalism, peer reviews of journalistic work, mentoring, 

sharing ideas on story angles, expert advice, etc. 

• Enormous opportunities exist via mobile phones. 

• With Mobile Internet, the reach gets deeper. 

• Sourcing foreign news. 

• Storage/archive opportunities. 

• Online learning and training opportunities. 

• Professional linkages, mentoring and peer guidance. 

• Internet provides a wider audience.

• Podcasting and streaming. 


Despite the many opportunities that ICTs offer to journalism practice in Uganda, 

there are signifi cant challenges as well. 

Journalistic strengths and limitations in ICT application 

Despite the perceived appropriateness of ICTs to journalistic work, ICTs are not 

yet commonplace in all media houses. 

While public policy and academic literature frequently tout substantial progress 

in bridging the digital divide, over half of the world’s population does not presently 

have access to even a telephone, let alone the Internet. [Mitchell & Gillis, 2007] 

argue that even within the United States there is substantial disparity in access 

to information and communication technologies. For example, those living in 

families with lower income and less education are substantially less likely to have 

access to the basic information and communication technologies than others. 

The uneven availability of access to information and communication 

technologies among the world’s population has great importance to public policy 

and the wellbeing of nations and individuals worldwide. Of particular importance, 

from a global “public welfare” perspective, is unrealized potential economic and 

human development that could be achieved through information communication 

technologies. On an individual basis, this forgone development activity translates 

into higher rates of poverty, poorer health, lower literacy and quality of life than 

is necessary [Mitchell & Gillis 2007] 

Several factors determine the level of ICT usage among Ugandan journalists 

including but not limited to access, competence, awareness, cost and interest 

amongst journalists. 

In their study Impact of New Information and Communication Technologies 

(ICTs) on Socio-Economic and Educational Development of Africa and the Asia- 

Pacifi c Obijiofor et al. [2005] identify the following limitations: 

• Ignorance about the importance of and need for ICTs which makes those 

rich enough to acquire them apathetic to ICTs. 

• General poverty which leads to the perception of computers as alien and 

luxury acquisitions. 

• Illiteracy and lack of basic computing skills. 

• Poor infrastructural support base e.g. ineffi cient electricity and telephone 

systems. 

• Perception of the technologies (e.g. computer) as a status symbol or status 

of one’s hierarchy in society. 

Many journalists and media houses cannot afford the costs of the appropriate 

software, hardware and training. 

Gerald Businge, a multimedia consultant observed that “there is a general lack 

of exposure to the various ICTs. Many journalists have not taken ICT as vital and


have not realized that they cannot do without it. Very few journalists therefore 

use computer based ICT solutions.” 

Businge adds that the mobile Internet network is not widely spread all over the 

country and where it exists, Internet speeds are low. 

It is also an established fact that many journalists in Uganda depend on their 

work places for internet access and the bandwidth is expensive. 

There are also concerns about the impact on newspaper sales. The New Vision, 

Uganda’s leading daily sells up to 35,000 copies every day. Established in 1986, the 

New Vision has witnessed a steady growth from a time when it virtually didn’t 

have any competitor to early 1990’s when the Monitor (now Daily Monitor) 

entered the market. The Daily Monitor sales are estimated at 25,000-30,000 each 

day. These fi gures have remained stable for quite some time. The print industry in 

Uganda have to put up with the challenge of facing steep competition from radio, 

internet and television. Uganda has over 250 FM radio stations broadcasting in a 

variety of languages. 

As more people get access to internet, a good number of them choose to read 

the news from the net while others may opt for radio as their major source of 

information. Newspapers are fi nding themselves in an unenviable situation of 

whether to publish their news on the internet and allow people to read it free of 

charge or withhold it to force them to buy printed copies. This would mean losing 

out on possible advertisers on the newspaper websites. It can be argued that in a 

way, the internet has led to a decrease in the revenue of some of the media houses 

in Uganda, while at the same time increasing their costs, as money would have 

to be invested into setting up such websites, and also paying the staff that would 

constantly maintain them. This is in the wake of the big challenge of interesting 

advertisers to go online. 

Several media houses struggle to pay staff salaries and do not have enough 

money left to invest in staff training and digital equipment procurement. 

There is also a defi ciency in the quality of the journalists because of lack of 

adequate training and upgrading of the skills. Most practicing journalists have not 

had formal training and those who have had formal training, many schools they 

went have no fully operational media labs and student newspapers where students 

can translate the theories learnt in the classroom into practice. 

There are also issues of high costs, limited network coverage and limited usage 

capacity if ICTs in Uganda. Though the costs have gone down signifi cantly, it 

is sad to note that some Ugandan media houses are yet to embrace information 

technology fully in their operations, more so when such technologies can now be 

easily and cheaply sourced and accessed. 

Obijiofor et al. [2005] conclude that in Africa, ignorance is a far more major 

obstacle and those aware, mostly the educated and literate people in the private 

sector, say as much as they appreciate the need and importance of ICTs, the 

economic situation in their countries and general poverty make it diffi cult for 

people who need these ICTs to acquire them. This argument doesn’t spare the 

media houses in Uganda.


Fig. 3: The typewriter. Notebook and pen and the video camera; 

journalistic tools keep changing and as such journalists must 

constantly adapt. 


There have been attempts, however, by media houses to increase integration 

and usage of ICTs in the wake of the digital migration process. These include 

acquiring the hardware and software and training the journalists in using ICTs. 

Many journalists today have personal blogs and are active participants in social 

media interactions. 

ICT challenges and opportunities to journalism 

The convergence process that characterizes multimedia poses challenges to 

departmentalized news organizations, and is generally considered to threaten 

a news culture that prefers individual expert systems and ‘group think’ over 

teamwork and knowledge-sharing [Singer 2004]. Literature suggests that new 

media technologies challenge one of the most fundamental ‘truths’ in journalism, 

namely: the professional journalist is the one who determines what publics see, 

hear and read about the world [Fulton, 1996; Singer, 1998]. The combination of 

mastering newsgathering and storytelling techniques in all media formats (so-called 

‘multi-skilling’), as well as the integration of digital network technologies coupled 

with a rethinking of the news producer-consumer relationship tends to be seen as 

one of the biggest challenges facing journalism practice in the 21st century [Bardoel 

and Deuze, 2001; Pavlik et al., 2001; Teoh Kheng Yau and Al-Hawamdeh, 2001]. 

The migration of readers and advertisers to the Internet, following on the 

early migrations to television, and combined now with rising costs and falling


revenue, is threatening the fi nancial well-being -- even the very existence -- of many 

newspapers, including some of the oldest established and respected among them. 

Sparks [2006] argues that this trend is not yet being fully felt here in Africa 

where the business side of the Internet has not yet taken off as fully as it has in 

the developed world. But the migration of readers is already happening, and some 

early consequences are already being felt. 

One of the solutions according to [Sparks 2006] is to diversify, diversify, into 

the profi table new electronic sectors of the media, into television and cellphones 

and the Internet, in order to support the print media and maintain their editorial 

quality which is vital for their long-term survival and the democratic role they 

need to play. 

The hotly debated emergence of multimedia newsrooms [Stone and Bierhoff, 

2002; Deuze 2004] or pro-active diversity awareness policies [Campbell, 1998; 

Bealor Hines 2001; Rich, 2005] in media organizations can be seen as good 

examples of changes and challenges in journalistic practice. Our argument is based 

on the assumption that the global picture of journalism is constantly and perhaps 

exponentially changing to such an extent that one has to analyze and discuss the 

main attributes of such (potential) changes in order to successfully study, describe 

and explain contemporary journalism. 

Over the past decade or so, fundamental changes have taken place and continue 

to take place in broadcast media houses. 

Looking at it critically, the news output of many broadcasters has expanded 

rapidly since the early 1990s, and covers a wide range of media platforms from 

television and radio to tele-text, web and mobile phones. Subsequently, broadcasters 

have undergone changes in the organization and practices of production. This 

is perhaps most evident with regard to production for multiple platforms in an 

integrated media organization. 

To various degrees production for television and radio has been integrated with 

production for digital media. Radio and television reporters who used to exist in 

separate worlds, are now working together, cooperating across media boundaries. 

The number of reporters who are able to work for both television and radio is 

increasing. The platforms of radio and television have been converging in terms 

of production processes, and later web and other platforms such as mobile phones 

have been added [Erdal 2007]. In the wake of all these developments, specifi c 

research issues arise. Related to changing professional practices, questions for 

example of how reporters relate to their editors need to be answered. How is 

production for multiple media platforms conceptualized within the organization? 

How are news items made for and published across different media platforms? 

Critics in Uganda have commented on the declining quality of journalism 

manifested in increased factual and other errors as well as in the choice and 

placement of content. Increased commercialization of media houses and the 

struggle to meet bottom lines has led to the downsizing of editorial departments 

compromising the traditional stringent gate-keeping processes.


Related to this is the pace of technological change and convergence in media 

that is leaving experienced journalists and editors laps behind. In their place, 

young tech-savvy but inexperienced journalists are coming in, leading to a general 

juniorisation of media houses. 

Two problems emerge here: fi rst, a signifi cant overdependence on the Internet 

as a source of information; secondly a growing tendency of un-moderated public 

call-ins into studio to comment on a variety of issues; and the ever-growing 

autonomy of presenters to choose and present content without any gatekeeper 

intervention. 

Discussion 

If news organizations opt for convergence or are striving to be more inclusive 

they also invite changes beyond hiring a couple of journalists or reporters. 

The impact ICTs have on the attributes, organization, culture and practices of 

journalists, is more than issues of technology and representation alone. Such 

changes also have to do with editorial organization patterns, and challenges to 

established journalistic ways, norms and values of storytelling. Living up to the 

characteristics and potential added value of ICT challenges perceptions of the roles 

and functions of journalism as a whole. 

John Bwireh, an engineer with NTV Uganda says the educational system has 

to change. 

Journalists go through the formal education system and therefore 

institutions should walk the walk and not seem to because much 

has been talked about ICT and little has been invested in its 

education. I have not seen any journalism institution teaching 

multimedia and internet as part of their curriculum and yet this 

is the backbone of digital journalism. Although I am aware that 

some teach non-linear editing, this is limited to a few applications 

and yet a journalist should not be limited to newsrooms but 

should be part of the newsroom meetings even when one is in 

Kabale or Arua and should be able to send edited stories from 

Kabale/Arua and move to another location without necessary 

coming back to the studio. 

A similar view is shared by Hassan Ssekajjolo, a media trainer and consultant, 

Training must be taken as a priority. Training in Internet 

journalism is still low. It should be added to the journalism 

syllabus. Capacity in terms of equipment in the journalism schools 

is nonexistent or outdated machines and equipment used. 

There are also journalists who are not willing to change with technology because 

they are still stuck to analogue systems. These journalists’ mindsets must change 

and embrace ICTs since it is the way to go according to Bwireh.


There is a great need to build the capacity of people to enable their use of 

internet and basic ICTs such as mobile phones whose benefi ts are amplifi ed by the 

fact that the spread of mobile technology in many rural areas has occurred much 

faster than with other information and communication technologies (ICTs). 

There is also a need develop local content in local languages and applications in 

high utility value for the community. Areas to look into include: health, education, 

market information, agriculture and local administration. 

Although an expanding body of scholarly work addresses technological issues 

regarding journalism, few authors combine such insights and research into a 

broader framework of thinking about journalism and media production processes 

as a whole and this is where the gist should be. 

Similarly, work on new media and journalism signals increased interactivity and 

a further blurring of the hierarchical relationships between producers and users 

of news as the main characteristics of the changes digitalization and convergence 

bring to conceptualizing journalism [Pavlik 2001]. 

What sets the sketched developments in society and technology apart in 

their impact upon contemporary journalism is related issues of control and 

transparency. Control on the one hand is about initiatives to remove primacy of 

authority over the news agenda or even the storytelling experience from the hands 

of (professional) journalists in favour of more responsive, interactive and inclusive 

journalistic practices. Transparency on the other hand relates to the increasing 

ways in which people both inside and external to journalism are given a chance to 

monitor, check, criticize and even intervene in the journalistic process. One element 

enables and follows the other, of course: more shared control over newsgathering 

and storytelling increases opportunities for surveillance and procession criticism. 

The point here is that a rethinking of journalism and the professional identity 

of journalists is necessary not so much because there is something wrong with the 

profession, but rather because it is essential in order to maintain a conceptually 

coherent understanding of what journalism is in an increasingly complex and 

liquid modern society [Bauman 2001]. 

Stverak [2010] argues that these fears are unfounded because traditional 

news media reporters and editors are being devastated by a fi nancial crisis, not a 

journalism crisis. Somebody has to fi ll the void. 

He argues that those who work with citizen journalists in online news ventures 

know better than anyone what a tough, disciplined calling it is. That is why they 

hire professionals and rigorously train citizens.


Fig 4: World Trade Center 2001, Asian Tsunami 2004, Hurricane 

Katrina 2005, and emergency landing on the Hudson River 

2009. Most of the fi rst pictures and reports of the above events 

were by Citizen Journalists. 


According to Stverak [2010] the future is online. And online news produced 

by citizen journalists can toss traditional media the lifeline they so desperately 

need. In addition to quality news coverage, many of these non-profi t online news 

organizations offer a “steal our stuff” policy that provides newspapers with free 

news. This is an obvious cost advantage over the traditional news wires that 

charge for content [Stverak 2010]. 

As more non-profi t journalism organizations develop, and more online 

journalists emerge in cities across the world, the traditional wire services will 

have stiff competition unless they deal with reality and start picking up the best 

work these journalists produce. Non-profi t journalism organizations as well as 

citizen journalists are producing news that too often is overlooked by traditional 

media. Not all those who write online stories are journalists - yet - but the ones 

who are should get the same access and treatment as those few still employed by 

newspapers, television and radio. 

At the end of the day, a partnership between newspapers and citizen journalism 

organizations will be benefi cial not only for both mergers, but also for their 

audiences who will be better informed. That’s the point. It also is the mission.


Conclusion 

From 2001 to 2011, journalism shifted to an instantly accessible, reader-centered, 

multimedia platform. Whether this is actually a good or bad thing is beyond the 

scope of this paper, but one thing is for sure – professional journalists and publishers 

will have to be forward-thinking in order to keep up with the amateurs. 

Fig 5: Different aspects of how consumers use ICTs to access information 

and the emotions it comes with. 

[Source Google Images] 

Although applied research suggests the necessity for multimedia operations 

to organize people in teams, and to arrange these working units in crossdepartmentalized 

ways [Huang et al. 2003] this advice is underscored by the 

experiences of multimedia newsrooms such as Tampa Bay Online (TBO.com) in 

the US where the convergence process met with the resistance of reporters, who 

did not want to give up their established way of doing things, and in particular 

refused to work in synergy with colleagues in other parts of the media organization 

[Stevens 2002]. 

Similar accounts can be found in case studies elsewhere, as well as a recent report 

on the state of European multimedia news shows in detail [Stone and Bierhoff 

2002]. Research among reporters in various converging newsrooms in the US by 

Singer [2004] and Boczkowski [2004] shows similar experiences, citing turf wars 

and a general reluctance of journalists to innovate, share knowledge, embrace the 

new technology – even though those that do reportedly think they are better for 

it. A survey by multimedia consulting fi rm Innovation – commissioned by the 

World Association of Newspapers and conducted in 2001 among media executives


worldwide – cited as the biggest obstacle to media convergence ‘the individualistic 

nature of journalists’ (mentioned by 31% of all respondents). On the basis of 

these studies and considerations one may argue that the shift from individualistic, 

‘top-down’ mono-media journalism to team-based, ‘participatory’ multimedia 

journalism creates particular tensions in the industry and among journalists, and 

potentially challenges the ideal-typical values in journalism’s ideology [Bowman 

and Willis 2003]. 

Every new communication technology spreading in a given society has always 

confi gured social class of “scribes,” that is, of those people who are able to use 

given technology within a society. After being managed only by social elite of the 

scribes, some technologies are then “socialized,” that is, they get to be mastered by 

most of the society. 

In the Western society, for instance, TV and radio are nowadays completely 

socialized in the sense that everybody is able to use TV sets and radios in order to 

receive the programs they broadcast; but when it comes to the production of TV 

and radio messages, only skilled operators can do that (although this state of affairs 

is being challenged by digital audio and video editing). 

Something similar is happening to digital information and communication 

technologies (ICT), which are becoming more and more a necessary tool in 

order to be fully introduced into the information society (“a society in which 

low-cost information and ICT are in general use”) or “knowledge society”— 

where “knowledge” stresses “the fact that the most valuable asset is investment 

in intangible, human, and social capital and that the key factors are knowledge 

and creativity” (europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/knowledge_society/ 

index_en.htm). 

In other terms, digital literacy is more and more a requirement in the knowledge 

society, at least in terms of digital fruition: being able to access digital information 

is something that cannot be anymore referred to “digital scribes,” but is becoming 

more and more a personal requirement [Cantoni & Tardini 2009]. 

It appears from the foregoing discussion that the way to go for journalism 

is to understand what ICTs bring on the table and make good use the potential 

that ICTs offer. As Gess [2011] notes, one cannot adapt to new challenges unless 

one knows they exist and understands what they mean. This applies as much 

to journalism itself as it does to the readers, viewers and listeners who depend 

on it to understand the changing world they live in. The challenges are many 

but what is important is to put in place practical policies that will for example 

govern the management of content sourced using ICTs in the various media 

houses. Fighting independent content producers is not an option. However, an 

important clarifi cation is needed here: it is not the fi rst time new communication 

technologies have arisen and caused changes in a society, nor will it be the last 

[Cantoni & Tardini 2009].


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Interviews: 

Engineer Godfrey Mutabazi – Executive Director Uganda Communications 

Commission 

Engineer John Bwireh - NTV Uganda 

Gerald Businge – Media Consultant 

Hassan Ssekajjolo – Media Consultant 

Simon Muyanga Lutaaya – News Manager NBS Television 

Other media practitioners

John Matovu Aminah Zawedde Das Pamela and Herbert Ruhunde.pdf

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