Corresponding for Monitor Digitally

Ali Balunywa, in Mbarara Uganda

Jossy Muhangi is a pioneer student of Mass Communication at Makerere University. He is currently a Monitor correspondent in Mbarara, in Western Uganda. The Monitor is Uganda’s other second English daily newspaper. (http://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.
Jossy also freelances for the African Press Agency.

He recalls that while studying at the university, they were using typewriters during their studies. It was the same at the newspaper office where they did their internship. Only typesetters then had access to computers! Photography then was a reserve of professional photographers and the process of getting a photo usually took days.

However now it is different. Every morning Jossy attends the daily meeting at the bureau office. The meeting is purpose is to generate news tips after which the bureau chief assigns the reporters what to do for the day. The reporters and correspondents go out in the field to gather news by way of following tips, interviewing sources and observing what is happening. From time to time they return to the office to type and file their stories.

While going about their daily work they use the new media. For enriching their stories and beefing them up, search engines like Google are continuously used. The computer is also used for typing ion stories, retouching photos and exchanging and filing stories. The Monitor intranet system is extended to Mbarara, however, whenever the office system slows up a public Internet café is used.

Jossy has Microsoft Outlook instant alerts, which alerts him whenever an email comes in. At the office he now uses a digital camera. There is also a scanner, which is used to scan historical photos submitted by the public.

Jossy can never work without his mobile phone. He uses it for communication, photography, recording, SMS- and MMS-ing. Even though the photo quality is not very good, the mobile phone camera comes in handy when he is covering sensitive stories like the military adorning party colors or torturing civilians. Photos can also be easily taken from a bus or other vehicle.

Jossy is belongs to several Social Networking Sites like LinkedIn and Twitter which he uses for keeping in touch and networking. He is also a member of the Commonwealth Journalists Association, the International Federation of Journalists and the Science Global Network Communication initiative. His membership helps him to access other journalists internationally by email, provides training opportunities, awards and scholarships.

Jossy is an ardent blogger. His blog is: http://www.jossmuhangi.blogspot.com/. Here he posts all his stories especially those that are not run by the Monitor. He also uses the Yahoo messenger a lot. It is much safer since the law of intercepting telephone calls was instituted making it difficult for sources to hold telephone interviews.

He proposes that through the Monitor, an Internet connected laptop and digital camera should be provided to correspondents in the field to simplify news gathering and filing even from remote places. This would go along way in creating efficiency and news deliverey.

New Technologies in the photo world

Ali Balunywa in Kampala, Uganda

Mathias Mugisha is a veteran photojournalist who joined the New Vision in 1999. He holds a diploma in photography and journalism. He works for the different New Vision magazines and the Sunday Vision as a writer and photographer specializing in travel and adventure.

Interview 

Ali: Mathias, tell me about your work.

I am a general photographer at the New Vision though 75% of my work is self-generated. I do some travel writing also. Life is much easier with new technology. Before the advent of the digital camera, we used to shoot photos, take them for development into film and finally print them on paper. Today we shoot digital photos, which are instantly accessed via the computer. I use a Nikon D300 digital camera. It is a mid range professional camera with 12 mega pixels. 

How do the new technologies help you in your work?

Today I type in all my stories on a computer, which is accessible by my editors. New technologies make it easier to beat the deadlines, which are very strict at the New Vision. Since the abandonment of the dark room, the computer is used for cleaning up, retouching and storing photos using Photoshop programme. 

I own a digital voice recorder that is very helpful for interviews. After conducting an interview, I copy the recorded interview onto my computer for further analysis before writing the story.

I also use the Internet a lot. Actually, I am in the process of establishing a website where I will place all my photos that I take. I will also use it for marketing, such that those who wish to buy my photos can do so online. 

I too, use the Internet for sending stories and pictures. It is fast and convenient. While upcountry, I can write my stories and take pictures, which I instantly send to my editor for publishing.  I also use the Internet a lot for researching and enriching my stories.

Furthermore, I use Yahoo messenger for chatting – relaxing and enhancing my work by way of networking with other photographers around the world. Sometimes I consult them on technical issues like the best way of setting a camera, lighting and other things. They also consult me on the same issues. We also share new technologies in our field.

I have very high respect for mobile telephony. I don’t like the quality of the photos they deliver, but sometimes in the absence of professional photos, we make do with that. However, sometimes, I receive assignments via the mobile and also report or consult via the same. I can file stories or interview people, call contacts and vice versa using the mobile phone.  I in addition use the mobile phone to send a summary of my story by SMS, use it as a recorder, radio, torch, time (I have no watch), appointment making, date and calendar, alarm and store for my information.