The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda |THE INDEPENDENT | Moses Bayola, the General Secretary of Uganda journalists Association (UJA), condemned some journalists who accepted cash from businessman Ham Kiggundu who on Saturday offered sh100m to help efforts to control the COVID-19.
The journalists were covering the launch of the distribution of relief food to be given to 1.5 million Ugandans affected by the COVID-19 lockdown in Wakiso and Kampala.
Bayola said it was an unethical display by said journalists adding that alleged poor pay cannot be used as an excuse to shame the profession. It is unethical for journalists to receive monetary and non-monetary inducements for news stories.
A section of journalists were seen scrambling to get a share of payments by businessman Ham Kiggundu after the event at the Office of the Prime Minister on Saturday.
They lined up to get a share of the money. Although each of them was given 50,000 Shillings, many were seen rejoining the queue, only to be embarrassed by the businessman.
At the function, businessman Hamis Kiggundu donated 100 million shillings towards the fight against Coronavirus (COVID -19).
All was well until Kiggundu brought out a bundle of sh50,000 notes, and publicly started distributing it to the more than 30 Journalists who each scrambled to have their share. The line was soon joined by passersbys who saw an opportunity for free cash. However, these were thrown out as Kiggundu said the money was a payment for journalists only.
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Please improve on editing and proofreading; there are many avoidable errors.
Otherwise, good job for being interested in journalistic standards.
I wonder why Mr Bayola is surprised that journalists jostled for USh 50k from Mr Hamis. It is an open secret that in most cases, journalists get paid so as to report a malicious/false story, doctored story, or even not to report especially if the story is embarassing. It’s now a case of who has money. You will be lucky to land on the likes of veteran journalists such as Mr Tony Owana, a breed that’s now endangered.