Joyce Namugambe
The Uganda Media Women Association has trained journalists on how to pursue their work in line with leaders, women leaders in particular, so that they can work hand in hand to bring out people’s voices fairly.
This comes at a time when some of women leaders are negative towards media, siting reasons being: journalists taking sides, tarnishing leader’s names, misleading the public through mis information, disinformation, defamation and others, which has widened the gap between media and leaders.
Speaking to journalists who attended the 2 days training on gender sensitive reporting at UMWA premises in Kisaasi, The executive director for UMWA Margret Sentamu has shown concern over the way journalists go against their media code of conduct for the sake of money.
Margret has cautioned journalists to fight hard and avoid going against their professional code of ethics for the sake of money, however much they need the money to cater for their responsibilities.
In response, journalists shared the need they have when taking on their work that push them into recieving money from sources to earn a living.
“We have families we look after, and what we get from out bosses are peanuts, compares to our responsibilities. We have no choice but to receive that money.” Some journalists noted.
Some of the women councilors who attended the training Kemigisha Sharon Rahma, women councilor Wandegeya, has commended UMWA for the training saying, it will bridge the gap between media and women leaders thereby giving women leaders chance to bring out the voices of the people they lead, through media.
Another councilor Mariam Nansamba, councilor Mengo Central said, some journalists take sides and portray their political affiliations which demotivate them from giving them information. “They trash our stories because they don’t believe in our political parties.”
One of the journalists William Katabula said that some women leaders are slow in responding to interviews with journalists giving different reasons, which he says pushes them to talk to men leaders who seem to be ever prepared, and leave women behind.
According to journalists from this training, their take home was to try as much as they can to balance their stories with both men and women so that they bring out gender sensitive stories.
They were also trained on how to be patient and tolerant towards women leaders so that the gap in between them is bridged, which will strengthen their communication effectively to the public, since media and leaders need each other.
