Assaulting journalists is getting trendy: The cost of serving two masters

The brutal beating of journalist Bob Oyuku Ojok is only the latest symptom of a deeper crisis: many Ugandans no longer see certain journalists as neutral reporters, but as paid political operatives hiding behind press badges.

What started in the Western media houses and star anchors openly fundraising for candidates has mutated into something uglier here. In Uganda, musicians first sold their talents composing campaign songs that topped local charts.

The money was so good that some artists later ran for office against the very politicians they praised. That virus quickly infected journalists.

Today, reporters and talk-show hosts brazenly campaign on air, insult opponents, and mock certain political parties. Listeners notice. Since 2021, Human Rights Network for Journalists Uganda (HRNJ Uganda) has documented at least 18 journalists now 19, who have been assaulted by civilians for varied reasons, not state agents; bringing the ugly reality home.

When the public believes you have abandoned fairness, they withdraw the traditional protection society gives journalists.

Northern Uganda feels this most acutely. Radio remains king, and some presenters behave like demigods on air, then expect to walk safely among the same people they humiliate daily.

In politically charged places like Lira City, callers now openly name moderators they consider biased and warn that they are “at risk.”

Management ignores the threats because many station owners are active politicians who profit from the propaganda.

The hypocrisy is staggering in the Media Industry. Media owners who, in their secret meetings with their moderators, often instruct their staff to go hard on opponents and paint them black at all costs, will be the first to cry “attack on press freedom” when the inevitable happens.

I condemn all violence against journalists without reservation but we must also speak the uncomfortable truth: no story, no political camp, no envelope, no ego is worth your life. You can and will be replaced when you are incapacitated by the community and rendered incapable of serving “the boss” or when you are dead and buried.

To my colleagues: if you want to be a campaigner, resign, register with a party, and campaign openly. Do not hide behind a microphone and a press card – serving two masters, one who values the truth and another who breeds deceit.

To media owners who are politicians: stop putting your employees in the crosshairs. This is Uganda, not a Washington, London or Paris affair. Here, in Uganda, biased journalism can get you disabled or killed.

There is life after elections, and there is a community you must face when the music stops. Choose neutrality or choose another profession. Most importantly, choose before someone chooses for you with a fist or an unexplained fatal accident.