Uganda is consistently ranked as “partially free” by global #pressfreedom watchdog groups. That sort of categorization often…


Uganda is consistently ranked as “partially free” by global #pressfreedom watchdog groups. That sort of categorization often belies the truth, however. In the case of #Uganda, where the same president, Yoweri #Museveni, has been in power for 30 years and proprietors of media groups are often attached to the ruling #government, #censorship is pervasive when it comes to critical reporting. But an environment where journalists censor themselves exacerbates this reality and makes the #truth even more difficult to detect. At this radio station pictured here (#radio is the most common means of news distribution in Uganda), a radio host was disrupted mid-broadcast and suspended from his job for about a month after he invited an opposition presidential candidate to his show. He told me he wouldn’t even consider inviting presidential candidates again, as reminders of where his loyalties should lie are all around him – in this case, the yellow posters featuring candidates of the ruling National Resistance Movement political party. As expected in Uganda, one of them is the co-owner of the radio station where he works – in other words, his boss.

My deep-dive piece on the issue is available on @foreignaffairsmag now: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/uganda/2016-05-31/ugandas-covert-censorship, with thanks to @theiwmf ?: @sonipaul