The Serious Business of Reporting Business

Ali Balunywa in Kampala, Uganda

Reporting on business is a serious business at the Monitor newspaper. The Monitor is Uganda’s other second daily newspaper (www.monitor.co.ug). It is an independent daily founded by a group of journalists. Currently, it is owned by East Africa’s biggest media house, The Nation Group of Companies that publishes the biggest circulating newspaper in East Africa. It also owns radios and televisions in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Dorothy Nakawesi is a serious business news writer at the Monitor. She was recruited in 2002. She holds a diploma in journalism and media studies and a certificate in finance and economic reporting.

Dorothy’s typical day starts by reading the day’s newspapers looking out for news tips. She looks at what is happening around and makes phone calls to confirm interviews and press conferences. She basically follows up tips on importation, export or investment issues.

The same morning, Dorothy attends the editorial meeting to review the day’s paper. During the meeting, at times, she is assigned to cover an event. However she also generates her own ideas. 

After the meeting she either goes out to follow a story, fulfill an appointment, do an interview or starts writing her stories. She does this after briefing her editor on what angle to take on a story. After writing a story she sends it to the editor for editing or approval.

Dorothy is grateful that she started reporting in the era of the new media. For example she uses the mobile phone for communicating with her contacts, receiving assignments, reporting, consulting, texting, photography, recording, receiving mobile news alerts, timing and stress relieving background music.

She uses the computer for typing in and mailing stories. She also uses it for researching for backgrounds via Google and the Wikipedia and spell checking her writings. She is a member of several Social Networking sites like face book which she uses  to communicate with contacts sourcing story ideas.

She is also a user of Yahoo messenger, which she uses to talk to Ugandans in the Diaspora about their views about events in Uganda and abroad. She uses the MSN for a similar purpose. She is also in possession of a digital camera and a digital recorder, both of which, she uses on a daily basis to aid her illustrate or prove stories.