MTN Uganda supports efforts to recognize and reward exceptional journalistic work

MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer, Somdev Sen (L) awards prizes to The Independent Magazine’s Ronald Musoke for emerging a winner in the Environmental Reporting category during the Uganda National Journalism Awards gala held at Mestil Hotel in Kampala on 14 December 2022.

MTN Uganda supports efforts to recognize and reward exceptional journalistic work
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MTN Uganda supported the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) to recognize and reward excellent journalistic work as part of its efforts to promote good journalism.

ACME, a Kampala-based media development organisation that supports African journalists to achieve professional excellence, held the 7th edition of the Uganda National Journalism Awards at the Mestil Hotel in Kampala on 14 December 2022 with MTN Uganda as a Gold sponsor.

The telecom company provided Shs20million towards logistical support and an additional Shs16million towards prizes to the winners, 1st and 2nd Runners-up in four out of 20 categories – Business, Economy and Financial Reporting, Environmental Reporting, Sports Reporting and Features Reporting.

MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer, Somdev Sen, said they are extremely excited to be part of this year’s Uganda National Journalism Awards 2022.

“We strongly believe that recognizing and celebrating excellence and professionalism in the media will inspire journalists to work harder and boost the country’s journalistic standards and value to the nation,” said.

“Our expectation as a business is a vibrant media that can tell our Ugandan stories with accuracy, balance, objectivity, concise, current and with a high level of professionalism to ensure that the public makes informed decisions including products and services such as the ones we offer.”

The awards, launched in 2014, celebrate and promote exceptional, in-depth and enterprising journalism that informs public debate and holds power to account.

The awards are open to all journalists working for media outlets in Uganda or regional media houses with wide circulation and significant audience reach in the country.

“Recognition and reward are proven ways of motivating professionals to maintain good standards and to raise their performance,” says George Lugalambi, ACME executive director. “These awards, therefore, showcase the best of Ugandan journalism and inspire media platforms to continue striving to excel.”

Across the media industry, 196 journalists participated in the awards, submitting 283 entries for the competition. About 30 per cent of participating journalists were women and 40 per cent of entries were from journalists based outside Kampala.

A panel of 8 judges drawn from the media, academia and public communications adjudicated the entries, with Dr. Charlotte Kawesa Ntulume of the Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University as the chair.

Speaking during the ceremony, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa urged journalists to practice responsible journalism, especially in his era of social media.

“Let us all do responsible journalism. We have all been tortured by social media and I believe we all need to be responsible going forward,” he said, adding that the media too need to hold every one accountable for their actions.

Delivering a keynote address, Rachael Akidi Okwir, the BBC World Service head of East Africa, said it is a trying moment for journalists and journalism in general.

She said social media and other digital platforms have overtaken and infiltrated journalism with disinformation and misinformation being key threats to the industry.

“The future and existence of journalism will now depend on how the media practitioners capture the audience as and when information flows. As journalists, we must play the role of fact-checking so that in the future our audiences may be willing to pay for premium content,” she said.

She said the majority of the audiences are young people meaning that the media content needs to be worth their time, data and money.

The Uganda National Journalism Awards had 20 categories touching various sectors and themes including Business, Economy and Financial Reporting, Agriculture Reporting, Sports Reporting, Political Reporting, Investigative Reporting, Extractive Reporting, and Health Reporting among others.

The awards were open to all journalists, freelance or full-time and independent content creators who submitted their work – print, online and broadcast – to ACME for onward transmission to judges who comprised active or former journalists and journalism educators with several decades of experience.

Entries were judged based on the accuracy of the information, initiative and originality, clarity of interpretation, storytelling ability, public benefit or impact on society, audience engagement, innovation, and the journalist’s creative flair in a given format.

Each entry was read, watched or listened to carefully and thoroughly, and assessed with the scrutiny and rigour that are expected of the most anticipated journalism awards in the country.

The following is a full list of winners of the Uganda National Journalism Awards 2022.

CATEGORYPOSITIONJOURNALISTENTRYMEDIA HOUSEMEDIA TYPE
AgricultureWinnerKato, JoshuaWhy Ugandans are hungry – 2-part seriesNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
First runner-upAmamukirori, BettyClimate change: Food shortage hits Teso regionNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
Second runner-upKhisa, IsaacGMO research: Lack of law complicates itThe IndependentOnline
 
ArtsWinnerAyugi, CarolineOutlawed animal parts spell death for Bwola danceDaily MonitorNewspaper/magazine
First runner-upMaina, Anthony Gwaro; Sekitoleko Alex; Moses SerugoWeaving a new twistFramez & WavesOnline
Second runner-upKaggwa, AndrewDrum makers decry competitionDaily MonitorNewspaper/magazine
Second runner-upLutaaya, DanielMama Awards, music and moneyNBS TelevisionTelevision
 
 
Business, finance and economyWinnerDramadri, FederickIllegal entry points fuel silent gold trade along Uganda-DRC border in West NileRadio PacisRadio
First runner-upLadu, Ismail MusaMultinational companies dodging taxes – 2 part seriesDaily MonitorNewspaper/magazine
Second runner-upMuhoozi, Nelson MandelaTimber exports: Standards, splitting remain leading complaintsNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
 
EducationWinnerKitimbo, Thomas and Lutaaya, DanielBusoga University operating underground, students in distressNBS TelevisionTelevision
First runner-upAbalo, Irene and Mujjawa, SusanMy silent worldNMG UgandaTelevision, newspaper
Second runner-upMasaba, JohnPayroll fraud: How teachers get cheatedNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
 
Energy and extractive industriesWinnerAbenaitwe, Cliff and Lee, MeganUganda’s first oil: What is at stakeInfoNileOnline
First runner-upMugume, Canary; Mulindwa, Jamila; Badebye, GodfreyThe sinking environmentNBS TelevisionTelevision
Second runner-upBita, GeorgeMercury smuggling in Namayingo gold mines – 2 part seriesNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
 
EnvironmentWinnerMusoke, RonaldDeforestation in Uganda – 4-part seriesThe IndependentOnline
First runner-upTenywa, GeraldSaving Uganda’s water thirsty citiesNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
Second runner-upSaad, ShamimRwenzori trans-border communities commercialising conservationNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
Second runner-upTumuhimbise, AlexIllegal sand mining leaves human, aquatic life at riskDaily MonitorNewspaper/magazine
 
FeaturesWinnerNakabugo, ZurahRoad crashes kill more than Covid-19The ObserverNewspaper/magazine
First runner-upOlwenyi, Richard and Mujunga, JoshuaNakivubo Channel: Where the good and bad meetNBS TelevisionTelevision
Second runner-upMaina, Anthony Gwaro; Sekitoleko Alex; Moses SerugoEmbracing the patchesFramez & WavesOnline
Second runner-upMusinguzi, BamuturakiMartin Senkubuge finding the colourful side of vitiligoDaily MonitorTelevision
 

Nicholas Bamulanzeki

HealthWinnerLutaaya, DanielI can’t breatheNBS TelevisionTelevision
First runner-upAmamukirori, Betty14,000 Ugandans miss medical care when one medical doctor diesNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
Second runner-upKyotalengerire, AgnesUnsafe abortions robbing girls of motherhoodNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
 
Investigative reportingWinnerSerwanjja, Solomon and Nwali, RahimDefiled by my father: A quest for justiceAfrican Institute for Investigative JournalismOnline
WinnerOngom, BensonLives in the hands of quacksNBS TelevisionTelevision
First runner-upKayiira, RichardCorruption in Administrator General’s Offie exposedBukedde TVTelevision
Second runner-upKemigisa, RitahHow church conned several firms of Shs17 billionNTV UgandaTelevision
 
Justice, law and orderWinnerMugume, Canary; Badebye, Godfrey; Swalik, SwalehThe mess at LDCNBS TelevisionTelevision
First runner-upByaruhanga, SudhirLiving with a bulletNTV UgandaTelevision
Second runner-upNakamya, Culton ScoviaObwegugungo bwa November 2020BBS TerefayinaTelevision
 
Land and propertyWinnerMuhumuza, EdwardLand is the answer – 3-part seriesNTV UgandaTelevision
First runner-upBagaaya, Victoria and Kayonga, PaulGhost landlordsNBS TelevisionTelevision
Second runner-upOluka, EstherUganda land mess – 3-part seriesDaily MonitorNewspaper/magazine
 
Local reportingWinnerTumwesige, ArnestFrom captives to fighters for survivalNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
First runner-upUnzima, JohnQuarrels over rock delayed road projectNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
Second runner-upDibaba, JohnDangerous profits: Why illegal ivory trade persists along DRC-Uganda borderRadio PacisRadio
 
National news – BroadcastWinnerNakamya, Culton ScoviaDouble jeopardy: The resilience of women in cross-border tradeBBS TerefayinaTelevision
First runner-upWamala, CliffChildren selling masksNTV UgandaTelevision
Second runner-upKaweesa, Solomon
ews – PrintWinnerNantume, GillianNovember riots – The lives we lostDaily MonitorPrint
First runner-upKhisa, IsaacKasaija’s tax burdenThe IndependentOnline
Second runner-upTenywa, GeraldUganda’s charcoal crisis – 4-part seriesNew VisionPrint
      
Photo and video journalismWinnerWatsemba, MiriamSinking land: Man and water collide as floods overtake landing site in UgandaInfoNileOnline
      
Political reportingWinnerKashaka, UmaruWhat it means to have youngest cabinetNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
First runner-upSsemugabi, Abdul-NasserHow boxers have been sucked into the “dirty game”Daily MonitorNewspaper/magazine
Second runner-upAinebyoona, JillOlutalo lwa LCIII lutuse mu kootiBukeddeNewspaper/magazine
 
Public accountabilityWinnerSerwanjja, Solomon and Nawali, RahimCovid-19 money trail – 3-part seriesNBS TelevisionTelevision
First runner-upKemigisa, RitahGovt proritises VIP cars ahead of citizens’ healthNTV UgandaTelevision
Second runner-upOkoth, CeciliaBribery hits Covid-19 vaccinationNew VisionNewspaper/magazine
 
Public works and infrastructureWinnerKayonga, PaulWorks budgetNBS TelevisionTelevision
First runner-upJjingo, ErnestWill KCCA’s new infrastructure campaign solve mess in the city?The ObserverPrint
 
SportsWinnerSabir, MusaLack of support – West Nile female footballers’ talent fading awayRadio PacisRadio
First runner-upNakate, OliviaAthletics rebranding Sebei regionUrban TVTelevision
Second runner-upSsemugabi, Abdul-NasserThe dilemma of a classless para-athleteDaily MonitorNewspaper/magazine
Second runner-upMpoza, Samuel

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