OPINION
It is deeply unfortunate that when a journalist from a rising media house is brutally beaten or arbitrarily arrested by security forces, we tend to remain silent, pretending as if nothing significant has happened. Yet, when the same happens to journalists from mainstream media organizations, the so-called “Big Brands” the entire nation is shaken.
Take the case of Top TV journalist Miracle Ibrah, who was brutally assaulted by JAT officers while covering the Kawempe North by-election nomination exercise, as security cracked down on National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters. His left eye was shattered, nearly costing him his vision. Yet, NBS TV and NTV, gave him less than 15 seconds of coverage in their news bulletins. Shockingly, instead of solidarity, some individual journalists mocked him on social media, dismissing him because he worked for what they called a “fake pastor’s media house” one allegedly notorious for delayed salary payments.
There is nothing wrong with exposing employers who exploit workers, but that moment when a journalist was between life and death was not the time for such criticism. There are legal avenues for addressing labor injustices, including recognized labor unions and constitutional provisions in the Employment Act.
We often hear of divisions among journalists based on their employers. Media House X fighting with Media House Y, reporters gossiping about and undermining one another. This unprofessionalism stretches from content and performance down to individual rivalries. The disunity is real. Teamwork among journalists died long ago, and not even prayers can resurrect it, not even the Jesus-Lazarus way.
Journalists are being used to fight personal battles on behalf of their bosses. In faith-based media organizations, for instance, if a pastor who owns a media house dislikes another pastor who runs a different media house, his journalists automatically become pawns in that rivalry.
The division extends further to who is “better” in the media, who has been in the industry longer, and who deserves more recognition. The seniors refuse to listen because they believe they know it all, while the juniors have developed an “I don’t care” attitude. It’s a toxic cycle that shows no sign of ending.
This reminds me of Martin Niemöller, the Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany, who initially supported Nazi ideas, until Hitler rose to power and he realized his mistake. He later reflected on his silence in this famous postwar statement:
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Today, Big Brand journalists believe that junior or freelance journalists are responsible for the industry’s challenges. Nobody sympathizes with them even when they are beaten, arrested, or dehumanized. The veterans treat rising journalists the same way, and the cycle continues. But until they come for you, you won’t realize that we are all in the same boat.
The media is increasingly divided and discordant, and the State is actively fueling these divisions. The government uses propaganda and misinformation to keep journalists fragmented. Some media houses sell their space and airtime to silence critical stories, ensuring that dissenting voices remain unheard. Meanwhile, online journalists are dismissed as “quacks” and “masqueraders,” even though many are trained professionals who either couldn’t break into the “Big Brands” or chose to build their own platforms.
But should we continue to be victims of these injustices? Absolutely not!
The divide-and-conquer strategy has been oppressive for too long. It is time for journalists to think collectively, set aside personal and organizational differences, and build a united industry, one founded on love, empathy, and solidarity rather than competition, seniority, or employer allegiances.
Doesn’t the Bible and Qur’an remind us that a divided nation cannot win a war? If the media industry remains divided, how can we stand against military brutality targeting our colleagues? Young journalists and smaller media houses continue to suffer at the hands of the big brands, just as Martin Niemöller warned, silence is complicity.
The only way forward is to build solidarity, work together, take a stand, and even boycott covering security and government events if necessary. Without unity and resistance, we will remain victims of state persecution one by one, until there’s no one left to speak out.
By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
The writer is a Ugandan journalist, Media Trainer and Founder Parrots Media.
Email: info@parrotsug.com
