Plans are underway for media practitioners to undergo a mandatory cadre course at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi.
This was revealed by the State Minister for Youth, Balaam Barugahara, at a closed-door stakeholders’ meeting at the UCC headquarters on Thursday.
According to Balaam, this training will help balance civil rights and national security concerns so that the country does not get into political turmoil exacerbated by the media, especially during the election period.
“The point is that there exists a balance between civil liberties and national security. Media played a significant role in inciting the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
In North Africa, the Arab Spring of 2010 to 2012 was all organized and incited via social media, and the government shall not, therefore, sit and watch similar attempts made here.”
He also said that the training will remind media practitioners in both mainstream and social media channels of their cardinal roles to society.
He said that the training could be concluded by June 30.
Dr. Kin Karisa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Association of Broadcasters, called for mutual understanding between media and security agencies.
Regarding the cadre course, Karisa proposed a different venue for the training because Kyankwanzi is portrayed as an NRM ideology training ground rather than a national leadership training school.
Nyombi Thembo expressed concern over what he termed the “proliferation of inflammatory and sensational content capable of inciting violence.”
He accused some journalists of deliberately painting Uganda in a negative light.
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