Family Planning Deprives the Rich of Domestic Slaves

Karoro Okurut; Member of Parliament (New Vision Photo)

In an article that appeared in yesterday’s (16 November 2009) New Vision newspaper, a respectable member of parliament argued that family planning should not be used in the country as it would deprive the middle class of domestic slaves that are manufactured by peasants. Other MPs looked at many children as a source of wealth in the 21st century! This was during a debate in the Uganda parliament over the promotion of family planning. Here below is the article in full by Francis Emorut:

Legislators split on family planning

Members of Parliament were last Tuesday divided over the promotion of family planning. 
Some members argued that the campaign would create a shortage of labour. 

“People in the village see children as a source of wealth and where will the middle class get house-girls and house-boys if you promote family planning?” Busenyi Woman MP Mary Karooro Okurut (NRM) asked. 

She argued that the family planning drive was too late for the current generation and advised the advocates to focus on future generations. 


The Mityana North MP, Gordon Sematiko (NRM), said children were viewed as a source of wealth. 

“The more children you have, the more you are respected and the more powerful you become. We have children as insurance. There is no way you can convince me to have one child when the mortality rate is so high,” he said. 

Sematiko noted that it was difficult to promote family planning because most mothers in the villages cannot afford contraceptives. 



The legislators were responding to a call by Dr. Peter Ibembe of Reproductive Health Uganda, who asked for more funding for family planning programmes from sh1.5b to sh24b to control population growth. 

Ibembe said Uganda’s population would reach 103 million by 2050, up from the current 30 million. 

Kiboga Woman MP Ruth Nankabirwa (NRM) noted that some contraceptives were not reliable. 
Woman MPs Margaret Babadiri (Koboko) and Oliver Woneka (Bududa) called for the involvement of men in family planning.

Is the Uganda Electoral commission technologically Challenged?

Engineer Dr Badru Kiggundu, Chairman electoral Commission (Daily Monitor Photo)

According to today’s New Vision (27 October 2009), “THE Electoral Commission has denied there are ghosts on the voters’ register. They have challenged the authors of a study alleging so to prove their claims. They said they have been cleaning and updating the register since 1996 using the latest technology and all the information is available on their website. 

“We don’t have ghost voters on our list. We have been continually cleaning our register as best as the technology we have had since we came on board,” said commission chief Badru Kiggundu. 

About using the latest technology, I beg to differ from Dr Kiggundu, in a procurement advert from the Electoral commission in the East African Newspaper of 28 September 2009, called for suppliers of diskettes and digital cameras. To say that diskettes in the 21^st century are part of the latest technology is to simply take us for a ride.

The Wikipedia defines a floppy disk is a data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible ("floppy") magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell. Invented by IBM, floppy disks in 8-inch (200 mm), 5¼-inch (133.35 mm), and 3½-inch (90 mm) formats enjoyed many years as a popular and ubiquitous form of data storage and exchange, from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s. 

Today however, floppy diskettes have been superseded in use by USB flash drives, external hard drives, CDs, DVDs and memory cards. As the electoral commission plans to use photographic voters’ cards and other advanced technologies, the floppy will do a disservice. With today’s average digital camera having over 5 mega pixels, how will floppies be able to store those images? Millions and millions of them will be required to do that service, where a few external hard drives or flash drives could come in handy. 

In light of the strategic importance of the electoral commission, the government should be very careful in selecting people to manage the elections. This gains importance when all political parties including the ruling movement agree that the registers are bloated with over one million ghosts and after the Supreme Court ruled that there was massive rigging in the 2001 and 2006 general elections.

An electoral commission should be neutral, technology savvy to enable it deploy the correct technology capable of safeguarding the ballot with appropriate data security measures to avoid havoc in future.

 

           Floppy Diskettes

www.balunywa.blogspot.com

Uganda Riots, a Postmortem

     Police and army practicing their training on a civilian

                      The Monitor photo by Muziransa

It was rumoured that the King of Buganda, his highness, Kabaka Ronald Mutebi, was under house arrest, but this was denied by the Inspector General of Police Major general Kale Kaihura at a press conference he held at the Media centre in Kampala at the weekend.

However, during the fracas, a total of 550 people were arrested over rioting and on Monday 14 September 2009, 122 were arraigned in court and later incarcerated in Luzira prison until 23 September when their case will be heard again. There reports of 103 deaths, though it is thought that the figure might be higher. The Monitor newspaper has set up an investigation desk to come up with a near accurate figure. According to the police spokeswoman, Judith Nabakoba, a Democratic Party MP arrested while in the middle of the church mass. Mr. Issa Kikungwe was arrested in connection with the riots that started in Kampala. “According to information available so far, he (Mr. Kikungwe) is one of the ring leaders who incited violence in Kampala,” Ms Nabakooba told Daily Monitor by telephone.

There are conflicting reports over the number of wounded. However, reports compiled by the Monitor from hospitals around Kampala put the wounded number at over 100. But many more injured people did not seek medical attention. The exact figure though might never be known but could be in the range of 500.

Other casualties include 5 radio stations forcibly shut down by the government. The reason given was that they were inciting people to riot and destroy property. Eyewitnesses claim men dressed in military uniforms climbed the masts owned by CBS to remove the transmitters. It was only after that that the Broadcasting council came up with a statement suspending the operation licenses of both kingdom radios. Other radios whose broadcasting licenses were suspended are: Radio 2, the Catholic Church owned radio Sapienta and Ssuubi radio.  The government’s condition to reopen the radios is that they should promise to stop their negative campaign against the ruling NRM party and inciting the Baganda tribe against the police in conjunction with the opposition leader Dr Besigye.

Not only radios were closed, but also a popular radio presenter was among those arrested. Journalist Kalundi Serumaga, a presenter with Radio one was arrested after participating in a television talk show. It was reported by the Monitor newspaper that Serumaga is presently in hospital where he is nursing wounds allegedly inflicted by the police whom he claims tortured him. Serumaga was arrested over statements he allegedly made while appearing as a panelist on Kibazo programme on Friday on television. The Broadcasting Council on Saturday also halted the airing of a Radio Simba talk show ‘Gasimbagane ne Bannamawulire’ and WBS television programme ‘Kibaazo’. 
 

The coalition of Makerere’s department of mass communication, Eastern African Media Institute, Independent Media Council of Uganda, and Uganda Media Development Foundation and many others in a statement yesterday, said Government’s actions “undermine the independence of journalism, freedom of expression and free flow of information.” 

They called upon the Broadcasting Council and security agencies to desist from exercising their mandate arbitrarily, excessively and selectively. 

“They should stop acting outside the constitutional framework and broadcasting regulations,” the coalition’s interim boss, George Lugalambi, said. 

The coalition also called for the release of Serumaga (The new Vision 14 September 2009).

Out of the ashes of the riots are lessons for both the government and the opposition. Over the last 20 years the government has amassed equipment for both the army and police for quelling down any internal dissent. Mamba trucks, tear gas, water canons mounted on tankers, arms and ammunition are in full stock. However, the government did not envisage the riots coming. They were ready for any eventualities in Kayunga and didn’t expect any problems elsewhere. For the first time in the history of Uganda, riots simultaneously broke out in 6 different districts. Since the police had heavily deployed in only Kayunga district, riots were able to continue for 2 days elsewhere. Rumours are rife that there was no more tear gas and bullets for the police! This means that even after spending colossal amounts of money to equip the police and to militarize it, it has no capacity to put down a nationwide strike.

For the opposition who used to think that Ugandans are passive must have received a wake up call. They should now note that with proper organization and a proper cause, the Ugandans will not sit back and allow elections to be stolen again. It is therefore important to ally with traditional rulers and explain the outcomes of a stolen election properly to the masses. They will protect the ballots with their lives as they did for their Kabaka.

 

 

 

 

The Impact of ICT on the Print Media Journalist in Uganda

On 22 September 2009, I shall graduate from the University of Amsterdam, having fulfilled all the requirements necessary to attain a Masters of Art in New Media and Digital culture which I have been pursuing in last one year.  Here below is the abstract of my research. If you wish to look at the whole research, please visit: Download AliBalunywaMA-Thesis-09.pdf

Abstract

I chose my topic of research because not much research has been done on how ICT has impacted on the print media journalist in Africa. My research will therefore enrich media theorists who lacked information on how the new media has heavily influenced African journalism. I established that Africa’s media density and Internet connectivity are quite low. These limitations however emphasize the strategic importance of African journalists have placed on ICT to enrich their information and reach.

During my research, I established that all journalists are aware of the relevance of ICT and its impact on the day-to-day activities of journalists. I also observed how the new media has reduced the technological gap between the West and South and how ICT has simplified the work of the journalist. Production time has been tremendously cut down by ICT use

To get my results, I used different research methods, which included observation; I worked at the New Vision newspaper in Uganda for one month. I observed how journalists use new media in their day-to-day work. I also participated in the day-to-day work of a journalist. I was deployed by the editor to gather news, write stories and generally attended the daily journalists’ meetings.  I also interviewed 35 journalists, writers, editors, subeditors and managers. Finally, I distributed 200 questionnaires of which 101 were returned filled in. I tried to establish how far ICT/New Media has advanced print media journalism in Uganda.

Journalism in Uganda matured only in the last 20 years. Before this it was basically one of those professions for school dropouts.  Government mostly owned the media industry and its main objective was propaganda. Today all this has radically changed. The private sector has embraced the media and the industry is blossoming.  The journalists have not missed out new advances in technology. African Media professionals to enhance their writing skills, design, layout, photography, presentation, sales and marketing have applied ICT.

From my findings, I established that the new media has been instrumental in narrowing the digital divide between the west and south. Journalists in both situations are using the same new media to facilitate their work. There might be an absence of broadband Internet in Africa, but that doesn’t hinder journalists from using the latest new media tools even as the speeds might be low.

Larger implications of my findings indicate that well as the less developed countries have struggled to economically grow without much success, new technologies seem to have succeeded where other resources have failed. The new media is part of these technologies. What is happening anywhere in the world is now syndicated the world over and can be reported at the same time in Washington, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Kampala.

New Media Supported Printing

Ali Balunywa in Kampala, Uganda

Samuel Kyagulanyi is the New Vision Production and operations manager. He studied statistics at the university and has a post graduate qualification in project planning and management.

Samuel assured me that the responsibility of printing all the New Vision’s publications lies squarely on his shoulders. This also includes external works from other companies and individuals. He is also responsible for machinery, materials and manpower.

Newspaper production

A web offset machine called “Goss” is the major press used in printing the newspapers. From the editorial, the dummy is transmitted via the intranet to the pre press for plates to be made. The Computer to Machine (CTP) machine burns images onto the plates, which are sent to the Goss for printing. The Goss prints and folds the newspaper and conveys it to the inserting room where it is bundled and parceled for the market.

The new factory that is being built will house a top of the range printing press. It will be able to print 64 pages at once in color, 40,000 copies per hour. It will have an insertion machine appended. 

Presently, the New Vision prints dailies from Southern Sudan like “Southern Eye” and “Yumbe”.  Umuseso, Umwezi and Umurugizi publications from Rwanda are also printed from the New Vision. 

New Media

All communication at the New Vision is via intranet including transmitting copies for printing. Regional offices upcountry also sends their printing material via email. After layout, they PDF the documents and email them to production. Uganda’s weekly observer and Business Week newspapers are also printed at the New Vision using similar means of transmission.

The computer is used to plan all jobs and schedules are printed out for the job allocation. The computer is an integral part of the production process. All the machinery is automated therefore uses inbuilt computers to control the process including quality.

In the unlikely event that the machine breaks down, communication is by email or mobile phone. Actually at the New Vision, it is a crime to switch the company mobile phone. Responsible officers where given Blackberry mobile phones to ensure their availability on telephone and email at all times. Calling within the network is free of charge; therefore there is no excuse for one not to fulfill his duties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning to use the new media

Ali Balunywa in Mbale, Uganda

Freshly graduated with a diploma in journalism and mass communication, Watala Jean Paul joined the New Vision as a reporter early this year 2009. His use of the new media is limited to typing in stories, emailing and mobile telephone use.  He can now also operate a digital camera by taking photos, downloading them and emailing them to the head office.

The New Vision newspaper is a member of the New Vision Group of companies and it is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug).

Jean Paul is always at the office by 7.30 am. First thing he does is to look into the diary to check on what assignments are undone or which invitations he should attend. By 10.00am, he must have a story idea to work on. The Mbale New Vision bureau has 3 reporters.

Every reporter must come up with a minimum of 2 stories per day. Sometimes they receive assignments from the head office or from the bureau chief. However, it is also common to initiate stories by oneself.

Jean Paul is still exploring other new media. He is yet to use the search engine tool, doesn’t know how to blog nor how to chat! He has no idea what social networking sites are. He however is a young man eager to learn new things and it will not take him long to become computer savvy.

 

 

 

 

 

New Media, a Blessing for Upcountry Journalists

Ali Balunywa in Gulu, Uganda

The New Vision regional office in Gulu is located in the very heart of Gulu town in Northern Uganda, The New Vision newspaper is a member of the New Vision Group of companies and it is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug).

Chris Ocowun is the bureau chief of the New Vision in Gulu. He holds a diploma in journalism and mass communication. His typical day starts with an overview of the previous day, what was done or not done. He also looks at how stories can be improved or built on.

Every Tuesday, he chairs the editorial meeting between 8.00 am and 9.00am. They share news tips and ideas and assign duties to every one.

Every day Chris sends his staff out to the field in search of news or to follow up on stories. Every reporter is computer literate. Each types out his/her story on the computer and emails it to the editor. Deadlines for stories are 10.00am though breaking news stories can be sent much later. 

In the Gulu office newsroom, reporters share stories with each other before sending them to the editor to ensure that the grammar is right and facts are in order. The Gulu office has 6 reporters.

Chris observed that the new media is a blessing for upcountry journalists. It all starts with the computer, which is used for typing stories, editing them and forwarding them via email to the editor. It is also used to spell check and for obtaining background information.

Chris also uses Yahoo messenger for conducting interviews, collecting data and clarifying on some information. He however does not belong to any social networking sites, nor does he blog.

The office has a digital camera, which is used to take photos that are attached to stories. The photos are uploaded on the computers, cleaned up and instantly sent to Kampala.

The mobile phone is also used at the office in the line of duty. It is used for gathering news, making appointments, clarifying on stories and sometimes sending stories to Kampala.

 

 

Oketch Bitek, not Okot B’tek!

Ali Balunywa in Gulu, Uganda

When Oketch Bitek told me his name, I automatically assumed that I heard Okot B’tek the famous poet and novelist. However, he explained to me that he was no relative of the poet. Oketch is a freelance journalist with the New Vision.

The New Vision newspaper is a member of the New Vision Group of companies and it is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug) 

Oketch is a university graduate. He is in possession of a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. After school he first worked with the Monitor newspaper as the Northern Bureau chief. He was also a reporter for the Central Broadcasting Services FM Radio and at the same time a researcher for international television stations.

Oketch arrives at the office every, day at 8.30 am. He asks his boss if there is any pending assignment. If not, he goes through the book to establish if there is any unaccomplished task or invitation to a function or event.

He also checks the Internet for any pending invitation or local issue. He then peruses through the local papers to see if there is any issue that they overlooked or to get tips for new stories.

After writing his articles, Oketch types them using the office computer and sends them to the bureau chief, who sends it to Kampala if found okay.

On the new media technology, Oketch confirmed that he uses the computer for Internet, email, spell checking, retouching photos and reading other newspapers. He however admitted that he does not use the search engines, chatting or social networking sites nor does he blog. 

Oketch uses the mobile phone for communication, receiving assignments, texting and reporting. He owns a laptop, which he uses to write his stories and send them to the editors or/ and bureau chief. He also listens to FM radios to get story tips.

 

 

Corresponding for New Vision

Ali Balunywa in Gulu, Uganda

Cornelius Lubangakene is a freelance journalist with the New Vision in Gulu, Northern Uganda. The New Vision newspaper is a member of the New Vision Group of companies and it is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug).

Cornelius arrives at office every day at 8.30am. He attends a brief editorial meeting where tips are shared and assignments given. Invitations for functions are also allocated to different journalists. Cornelius then listens to the radio to get more news tips. He also goes out to the police station or the court or market in search of news.

He uses motorcycle taxis or boda boda as they are locally called. He always carries with him a notebook, camera, mobile phone and pen. After getting his stories, he returns to the office, types them on computer, downloads photos and mails it to Kampala.

He regards the computer as his main new media tool. He uses it for typing stories, spell checking, email, Google, Gmail and chatting to source stories. He however doesn’t use any social networking sites. The mobile phone is the second best tool to use in news gathering and reporting. It is used for receiving assignments, texting and interviewing sources.

Cornelius also uses the radios for sourcing news tips. 

Environment Journalist and ICT

Ali Balunywa in Mbarara, Uganda

Uganda does not have many specialist journalists, so when I met Ebenezer T. Bifubyeka in Mbarara, Western Uganda and he told me he was an environment correspondent for the New Vision I was pleasantly surprised.

The New Vision newspaper is a member of the New Vision Group of companies and it is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug) 

Ebenezer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences. He joined the New Vision in the year 2000. He is now its environment correspondent.

His typical day starts every morning by listening to radio. He tries to sieve out environment issues to provide him with tips for the day’s newsgathering. He arrives at the office at 9.00am and proceeds to read the newspapers especially the New Vision. He looks out to those stories that he can react to or use as tips for new stories.

Most of the time he assigns himself leads to follow. However, once in a while, the editor assigns him stories to follow up. His articles are always well researched and take time to complete. After completing an article he emails it to the editor in Kampala and also uploads it on his blog; www.tenbifubyeka.blogspot.com.

Apart from the computer and blogging, Ebenezer uses other ICTs in the course of fulfilling his journalistic duties. He uses his mobile phone for communication. He also uses the Internet’s search engines like Yahoo and Google.

He further uses the Internet’s social networking sites like Panos to share experiences and ideas with his peers. He is also a member of the online Mbarara environment journalists association 

He is additionally a frequent user of Yahoo messenger to source tips, generate ideas and exchange information 

Other new media he uses include the digital camera, spell checker, fm radio and television for tips. Lastly he subscribes to online bulletins on the environment.

Finally during his free time, Ebenezer writes novels. He has to date written 6.

 

 

 

“Provide New Technology to Reporters”: Felix

By Ali Balunywa in Mbarara, Uganda

The New Vision (www.newvision.co.ug) and the Daily Monitor (www.monitor.co.ug) are the two leading newspapers in Uganda. Journalists are proud to work for any of the 2. There is constant movement of staff between the 2 papers. Felix Basiime is one such a journalist. He worked with the Monitor for 10 years and in July 2008 joined the New Vision as a reporter based in Mbarara in Western Uganda.

Felix gets to the New Vision office at 8.30am everyday. He peruses the newspapers, checks his emails; New Vision, Gmail and Yahoo mailboxes. Thereafter he attends a brief editorial meeting where they share tips and receive assignments. He then works the phones looking for tips from the public, professionals like environmentalists and teachers or conducts interviews.

On his use of ICT, Felix thinks there is no way modern journalism can exist without it. For example, he charges his mobile phone everyday, because he uses it all the time. At times he gets some tips through text messages. He also subscribes to the mobile alerts where he receives breaking news alerts instantly on his handset. It costs him the equivalent of 15 Euro cents per text message. Sometimes he uses the phone for interviewing people.

Another ICT Felix uses is the computer. He uses it for typing in stories, Internet and email. Throughout the day, he constantly keeps on checking his mailboxes. He also sends his articles to the editors via email. After reading the articles, editors can either send it back via email for clarification or use the mobile phone. Felix also uses the computer for spell checks and finding synonyms.

Before the advent of the new media, stories could take a week to reach the editor through the post office. Likewise for photography which had a longer process of developing, then printing and finally posting the physical photos to the editor. Today he uses a digital camera and instantly sends the photos to the editor in Kampala.

The search engines; Google and Yahoo are a real blessing. Stories can be easily beefed up using search engines. Facts and figures can also be checked or confirmed by these tools.

Felix is the public relations officer of the blog; www.akayo.blogspot.com. He also contributes articles to the blog. It is a blog for journalists who report from upcountry.

Felix however thinks his employers should provide reporters in the countryside laptops and mobile Internet facility to make their work easier. The reporters would pay for the technology in instalments. This would make them more efficient and process news much faster without having to physically go to the office to type in a story then emailing it to the editor.

Rural Journalists Using ICT

Ali Balunywa in Mbarara, Uganda

The New Vision Mbarara bureau chief is called Deus Ruhangariyo. The New Vision Group is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug). Deus is a holder of A Bachelors degree in Social Sciences and various certificates in Journalism.

Deus’ typical day finds him at the office at 7.30 am. He first peruses the daily papers checking on the regional stories to establish what was run. He then starts compiling the line up of stories for Orumuri, New Vision’s sister newspaper published in the local Kinyankore language.

At 9.00 am, he chairs the editorial meeting which is attended by his deputies and journalists. During the meeting, they share tips and assign journalists work for the day.

In the afternoon, he calls stringers and correspondents from the outlying districts to coordinate stories that came out from other papers or to follow up assignments. He advises on what angles to take and what details to look for.

On Mondays, Deus chairs the operations committee meetings, which involves all heads of department. An assessment of the previous week’s work is made and a time frame of what is to be done in the new week is made. There is always a secretary who takes minutes and later shares them with headquarters via email.

On Wednesdays a planning meeting for the Orumuri newspaper sits. The meeting looks at the product, reviews the product on the market and brainstorms on the challenges faced while doing it. Possible solutions are also provided. Forecasts of what to include in the next issue is also made.

After all correspondents have filed their stories, an editorial meeting is held to select stories to be used in the paper. Subeditors have the mandate of deciding which stories to be carried on specific pages for example; a page runs on average 10 stories without adverts. It is also important to incorporate stories from outlets, which have high news sales returns.

After laying the pages the subeditors submit them to the bureau chief. He checks the flow in stories, cross checks facts, libel, defamation and grammar. If there is no problem he okays the pages, which are PDF-ed and sent to prepress to ready it for printing.

ICT use

The computer is the most used technology today. All stories from the outlying districts are received via email. The Internet is used to gather foreign news and Google for background information. Digital photos are fed into the computer, digitally edited using Adobe Photoshop software and integrated in the story using QuarkXPress programme. Previously, the PdFs used to be physically taken to Kampala for printing on a floppy or CD, now however, it is different. The PDFs are sent by email instantly.

Deus has 3 email addresses; the New vision mail, Yahoo and Gmail. He however doesn’t chat or use any social networking site. He is part of the Closed Mobile Group, which makes free calls within the group.

Finally he uses the FM radio to get news tips and to advertise headlines for a new paper.

American Journalist Reporting for Vision

Ali Balunywa in Kampala, Uganda

Rebecca Jane Harshbarger is an American journalist who freelances at the New Vision newspaper. She has a BA in African Studies, a Masters in Journalism and specialist in print and web reporting, podcasting and blogging. Last summer she was an intern at the New Vision for 10 weeks and since March this year became a freelance reporter. 

The New Vision Group is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug)

Rebecca is a freelance journalist at the Saturday and Sunday Vision’s business desks. Usually her editor gives her a story idea and she follows it up in the field. She has many contacts in the field that supply her information. Her contacts are based in companies, the stock exchange and other sectors of the economy.

Rebecca reads a lot, watches television and asks her contacts many questions to expand her information base. She has also written several articles outside her expertise like:

-       Recovery centre in Gulu for sexual violence survivors

-       Men and fitness

-       Wetlands

-       Youth offenders

On a normal day, Rebecca takes notes as she chases a story. She also uses a tape recorder, reads a lot and makes many follow-up phone calls. She later types in her story and sends it to the editor. She has not yet had a story rejected, but sometimes she re writes it.

On her use of new media tools, Rebecca admitted that they assist her a lot during her day-to-day beat.  She always has a digital camera with her to take pictures for her stories.

She uses the Google search engine a lot for research and beefing up stories. She also uses BBC, Washington Times, The Independent and other news websites for background information.

Face book is her best Social Networking Site. She has over 300 contacts in East Africa. It helps her for interviews, consultations, searches expert contacts for comments on current subjects for example if she is looking for a comment from the man on the street, she just asks her contacts. She is also a member of Twitter and LinkedIn.

Within the editorial the internal network: the intranet is used for communication and editing and correcting stories. The mobile phone is also another communication gadget that is used for both internal and external communication. Texting is more convenient for Rebecca, than calling. She also claimed she liked the way Ugandans use text messages for communication. Sometimes, journalists receive text storylines and set time to talk.

Rebecca’s blogs are ugandabeatslivejournal.com and ugandabeatswordpress.com. She uses them for searching and story ideas. She uses her computer at home to video podcasts. It helps her to get in touch with international news and to download American programmes. In the morning or late at night I sometimes log onto the New Vision system because then it is not to busy and can be quite fast. 

I have 3 email addresses, which I never close. I check on them from time to time, I never log out. I receive news stories, press releases and contact information through my email addresses.

 

 

 

 

 

Diary of a News Editor

Ali Balunywa in Kampala, Uganda 

Hellen Mukiibi is the deputy news editor at the New Vision. She joined the media house way back in 1989 as a reporter. She is one of the most senior journalists. The New Vision Group is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug) 

Hellen wakes up at 5.00am and switches on the radio to listen to the news. She tunes from one radio to another looking out for any breaking news story or tip. She quickly checks the Internet for stories from Kenya, Rwanda, AFP, Reuters and BBC. These are the major sources of news from the Diaspora. 

7.30 am:  She peruses the local dailies and weeklies if out. She would be looking       out for what the New Vision could have missed or how the competitors       can be beaten. 

8.30 am:  She or the news editor chair the daily editorial meeting to do a                postmortem of the day’s paper and to deploy reporters on different          beats

9.00 am:  Section meeting with other editors and editor in chief to discuss the           photos and stories. The editor in chief shares out stories among the           sister papers.

9.30 am:  Make phone calls, briefings, assignments supervise imprest for transport     and if there is a breaking news story alert the website editor and the FM     radio stations.

             From this time to 3.00 pm, liaise with writers to prepare stories for           editing.

3.00 pm:  Major outlook of the following day’s paper is ready. Consult throughout       the day with editors and writers.

4.00 pm: Arrange what will be in the meeting as we continuously enrich the              content

4.30 pm: News editor takes the line-up of the stories to the editor in chief who         together with chief sub editor and photos editor meet to agree on line up.

6.00 pm:  Sign out, but continue consultations by phone and email.

“Basically all days are like above. I supervise the newsgathering process, which begins with making the diary. The diary consists of what is in store and what we want to gather. We find out from the international and local news agencies what is happening and see how we can follow it up. We also go through the local diary of invites to see what we must cover among the several functions. There is also a diary for follow-ups and a diary for news from other media houses”, says Hellen.

“The progress in the newsroom is continuous up to the time the paper goes to bed. However, as editor I must help the reporters to polish the story and edit it and hand it to the news editor or the other way round. All stories and photos can be accessed on the network even when they are being worked on. This makes it easy for us to link the photos to the stories”, she added.

New Media tools

1.   Mobile telephone: Used for local and international communications. It is used to coordinate and consult with reporters in the field. The SMS is also very frequently used for the same purpose. 

2.   Television and FM radio: For listening to news and other programmes

3.   Internet: This is the most effective news gathering tool.  Examples include; Google search engine, news alerts, breaking news, SMS media and email. For instance, the Uganda Media Centre invites journalists to attend press conferences via SMS media. 

4.   SNS: The social networking sites makes a news editor lazy and they are difficult to follow-up given the amount of work an editor has to accomplish.

5.   Blogging: Hellen blogs, but she is too busy to keep her blog updated.

6.   News@newvision.co.ug: The easiest way to access the editorial

7.   Content Management Software: Saves time and paper and makes work less laborious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The buck ends here”, Chief sub

Ali Balunywa in Kampala, Uganda

Ben Opolot is the New Vision’s chief sub editor. He joined the New Vision in 1994

Interview

Ali: What does your job involve?

Ben: My job is basically a quality control job here. I am responsible for maintaining the New Vision house style, which includes the visual, photos, grammar, language, content, and accuracy and general standards. My job cuts across all sections; sports, supplements, magazines and the like. Though my major focus is on the daily, I also offer supervisory and monetary oversight for the Saturday and Sunday editions. I do this through a weekly review postmortem with the staff. 

What does the staff under you do?

There are 35 subeditors. On average each subeditor lays out 2 pages per day. They receive stories from the editors through the intranet and depending on what pages they are doing follow an established layout format. After laying out the pages they physically print out the pages and pass them on to me. Currently after all corrections are made, I send them to pre press department through the network to the computer to plate process. We have been promised in the near future to get technology, which will eliminate prepress and transmit files from editorial direct to the press. 

We have however, not harnessed the available ICTs to create efficiency and a better product. There is a lack of managerial focus and drive to effect this change. We require new software to solve some few editorial snags especially automating the uploading of the website. We should be in a position to send data to the press at the same time automatically uploading the website.

Where does the buck end?

The editor in chief delegated the responsibility of the final product to the chief subeditor. So, well as the buck should end at the editor in chief’s desk, in reality it ends here.

What role does the New Media play in your day-to-day work? 

I can’t imagine the days before the advent of the computer. Editing used to be done on paper. Reporters wrote their stories by hand and used typewriters to type. Layout used to be done by cutting and pasting physically. Today, the computer does the whole process; inputting, editing, typesetting, designing, photos are all PDF-ed and sent by mail to the pre press to ready for printing without going through the darkroom!

The computer and Internet are powerful tools for grammar, spell check, Google; for verification, searches, historical context and research. Email too, has eased communication. A few years ago, information from the field used to take days to arrive at the news editor’s desk. Today, files are instantly forwarded electronically. Personally, I completed my Masters degree online. I took off just a few weeks to interact with my professors in South Africa. Other young people are also doing the same. The computer has enabled us to perform multiple tasks at the same time. It has therefore helped to retain staff that would have had to resign in order to pursue further studies.

We now have a better skilled staff that learns more about journalism online. The computer is a knowledge and resource centre. It provides us with wired news from agencies. This keeps the cost minimal. It also provides graphic services important for the design of the papers. Uganda has no libraries, so the computer/Internet is the point of reference. 

Mobile telephony cuts costs, is efficient and easy to use. We can access reporters and editors anytime while working on their stories.

As for blogging, I don’t individually blog or even read them. I feel blogs lack peer review and therefore are too opinioned. However, we can use them as sources of news stories and tips. 

Like the blogs, I find the Social Networking Sites (SNS) just exhibitionist. I know it is a tool of communication and it encourages citizen journalism. People are allowed to explore themselves and to listen to what others are saying. It is here that you get the pulse of the people without the rigid structures of newspapers. It liberates to reader.

Any other New Media tools you use? 

We also have the discussion board on our website. It is very important to the New Vision and we periodically run it in the newspaper. It is one of the places where our readers interact with the writers and also give us their opinions on contemporary issues.

The organization is in the process of developing a Short Message Service (SMS), which will integrate all our products. A significant amount of people’s lives is shifting to the mobile phone and as a leading newspaper, we must take advantage of the mobile phone especially the SMS technology to reach out to our readers and also get new ones. We therefore have to find new ways of delivering our content particularly the young people and women. Traditionally, newspapers are for men who decide when to buy it. But now with the mobile phone the woman can now enjoy the benefits through it. So the mobile especially the SMS will help to keep readers and even get many more if we can deliver the content in a way that is convenient to them. This means the business must be rearranged and skills and processes must be tailored to fit the new technologies.