Regulation, Self-censorship and Journalism Practice in Uganda: A Focus on 2013-2023

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine how media laws can potentially contribute to self-censorship among journalists in Uganda. Document analysis and in-depth interviews were employed to achieve the purpose of the research. In addition to the methods, coping theory was chosen to guide the study. Although there are many laws relating to the practice of journalism, the findings identified five major pieces of legislation as having the greatest effect on the profession. They include the Uganda Constitution (Uganda, 1995), Press and Journalist (Amendment) Act (Uganda, 2000), Penal Code (Amendment) Act (Uganda, 2007), Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act (Uganda, 2022) and Uganda Communications Commission (Amendment) Act, (Uganda, 2013). The findings revealed that the state and its agents have effectively employed these laws to instil fear among journalists in the period under study. It is evident that while some of the laws are direct in entrenching self-censorship, others are ambiguous enough to allow state actors to use them in creating an environment that forces journalists to censor themselves.