Media advocacy documentary launched
Crispin Kaheru, the Commissioner at Uganda Human Rights Commission has called upon all the ministries, departments and agencies, media houses, CSO’s and journalists to commit themselves, to preventing violation of media freedom and rights of journalists at all levels.
Kaheru was presiding over the launch of a media advocacy documemntary and pictorial exhibition at Hotel Africana in Kampala.
Kaheru said that responsibly free, independent and vibrant media is indispensible in any society that claims to be a democracy.
Kaheru had no kind words to arbitrators of Human Rights. He further asserted: The freedom of place and other media is therefore part of the wider fundamental freedom of speech and expression which underpins all other human rights and freedoms.
The media, globally, plays a critical role in the functioning of democracy. The media and jounalists specifically are both enablers of the right to freedom of speech as well as facilitators of the right to information. Both these liberties enhance citizens’ participation in governance.
“With my extensive background in electral work, i very well appriciate the importance of both freedom of speech and the right to information,” asserted Kaheru.
Freedom of speech and expression means that everyone has the right to:1)Disseminate information and ideas:2) To seek information and ideas:3) To recieve information and ideas:4) To impact information and ideas.
In exercising our freedom to disseminate, seek, recieve and utilize information, we should be able to do it responsibly. At each of these stop- points, we should employ what the Rotarians populary refer to as a ‘(4) way test’. We should ask ourselves: Is it the truth? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? If the answers to all the above are in the affirmative, then there’s certainly no reason why you shouldn’t exercise your freedom and right.
Kaheru said that there have been unfortunate cases where journalists have been subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment through arbituary arrests, assault, detention and confisication of their equipment.
They have also been incidents where security personnel have confiscated gadgets and deleted information from journalist’s cameras and recorders.
There have also been some reports of opposion politicians being denied space or airtime to share their views in some media houses especially during election seasons.
These particular incidents reflect a degree of impunity, are regretable and must be condemed at every opportunity. Journalists continue to be denied acess to information and sources of information.
He said that social media presented an opportunity to share and exchange information in real time.However, it has also been turned into a source of missinformation, disinformation and fake news, with many subscribers to the varios socialmedia plattforms recieving and sharing news without firs verifying the authenticity of the content.