Press Freedom and Governance
CCIME promotes freedom of expression and freedom of the press and fosters media independence and pluralism through advocacy on media legislation and by making governments, parliamentarians and other decision-makers aware of the need to guarantee free expression. CCIME promotes freedom of expression and freedom of the press as a basic human right, through lobbying and monitoring activities. It highlights media independence and pluralism as fundamental to the process of democracy through advocacy on media legislation and by making governments, parliamentarians and other decision-makers aware of the need to guarantee free expression. Other activities include celebration of World Press Freedom Day every 3rd May
Our democracy needs a robust press to hold our leaders accountable and cover the important issues facing our communities. But in Uganda, press freedom is under attack today, with government authorities seizing journalists’ phone records, detaining reporters while on duty and demanding that journalists reveal the identities of confidential sources. This kind of harassment doesn’t just affect “professional” journalists. The Internet and new technologies have democratized media making, with more people taking up the tools of journalism. And after years of newsroom layoffs, many of the people who are most at risk are citizen journalists and indie reporters operating outside the mainstream press.
With more people than ever before engaged in media making, there are also more people who have a stake in defending press freedom. The task belongs to all of us and the public has to have a seat at the table when new laws are being debated. We must leverage public pressure to make our leaders understand what Press Freedom means in the digital age, to beat back bad laws that threaten our rights to connect and communicate, and to support new journalistic efforts in all their forms.
CCIME is working to promote Press Freedom through the following ways:
- Building a Movement: CCIME is engaging activists around the country in the fight for fundamental freedoms.
- Reaching Out to Media Makers: CCIME is working with media makers, freelancers and citizen journalists, equipping them with the tools and resources they need to defend their rights and amplify their voice.
- Forging a New Coalition for Press Freedom: CCIME is working with allies nationwide to connect and collaborate on a range of press freedom, media justice and open government issues at the local, state and national levels.
Freedom of Expression, a Human Right
Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right as stated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
Media freedom and access to information feed into the wider development objective of empowering people. Empowerment is a multi-dimensional social and political process that helps people gain control over their own lives. This can only be achieved through access to accurate, fair and unbiased information, representing a plurality of opinions, and the means to actively communicate vertically and horizontally, thereby participating in the active life of the community.
However, in order to make freedom of expression a reality, CCIME work to ensure the following:
- a legal and regulatory environment that allows for an open and pluralistic media sector to emerge;
- a political will to support the sector and rule of law to protect it;
- laws ensuring access to information, especially information in the public domain; and
- the necessary media literacy skills among news consumers to critically analyze and synthesize the information they receive to use it in their daily lives and to hold the media accountable for its actions.
These elements, along with media professionals adhering to the highest ethical and professional standards designed by practitioners, serve as the fundamental infrastructure on which freedom of expression can prevail. On this basis media serves as a watchdog, civil society engages with authorities and decision-makers, information flows through and between communities.
Freedom of Information
The fuel that drives this engine is information and therefore access to information is critical. Freedom of information laws, which permit access to public information are essential, but so are the means by which information is made available, be it through ICTs or the simple sharing of documents. Information can change the way we see the world around us, our place in it, and how to adjust our lives in order to maximize the benefits available through our local resources. Fact driven decision-making can significantly alter our political, social and economic perspectives. Therefore, open and pluralistic media are, perhaps, most precious when they simply provide the mirror for society to see itself.
These moments of reflection are instrumental in defining community objectives, making course corrections when society or its leaders have lost touch with each other or gone astray. The right to access information can be interpreted within the legal frameworks that support freedom of information as it applies to information held by public bodies, or in a wider sense to encompass both access and circulation of information held by other actors, where it becomes intrinsically linked to freedom of expression.
Freedom of information and the transparency it promotes, has a direct consequence on fighting corruption, which in turn has a tangible impact on development.
Press Freedom and Governance
Ensuring freedom for the media around Uganda is a priority for CCIME. Independent, free and pluralistic media are central to good governance in Uganda where democracy is still young. Free media:
- Can ensure transparency, accountability and the rule of law;
- Promote participation in public and political discourse, and
- Contribute to the fight against poverty.
An independent media sector draws its power from the community it serves and in return empowers that community to be full a partner in the democratic process. Freedom of information and freedom of expression are the founding principles for open and informed debate. New technology will continue to evolve and allow citizens to further shape their media environments as well as access a plurality of sources. The combination of access to information and citizen participation in media can only contribute to an increased sense of ownership and empowerment.