243661083 editorial policy complete

VISION GROUP l EDITORIAL POLICY

Editorial Policy

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement................................... 4 Terms.......................................................... 6 Introduction............................................... 7 Editorial Principles..................................... 9 Editorial Accountability and Duty............. 11 Editorial Ethics........................................... 1 5 Editorial Content...................................... 19 Editorial Positions..................................... 24 Editorial Resources.................................... 34 Editorial Policy Implementation and Amendment............................................... 36 Schedules................................................... 37

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acknowledgement From one newspaper, first published on March 19, 1986, New Vision has grown into a multimedia house with many newspapers, radios, TVs, websites and social media platforms. In its infancy, the editorial policy and standards enshrined therein, though oral, were easy to guard but the expansion into multi-media platforms requires the engagement of many more media practitioners with varied backgrounds. It is, therefore, no longer possible to enforce oral editorial standards; hence the need for a published policy which will provide immovable benchmarks for all the media practitioners at Vision Group.

The challenges of running a multi-media house are compounded by the exponential rise of social media which makes the gatekeeping role of the traditional editor obsolete.

The floodgates are open as torrents of media content flow in uninhibited. Increasingly journalism is becoming an open profession where anybody can produce and package media content from any source; this therefore necessitates a simplified and documented editorial policy that all media practitioners at Vision Group can follow on a day-to-day basis.

Aware of the immense responsibility the media carries in contributing to the advancement of society; Vision Group presents this Editorial Policy which embeds the professional values of honesty, equity, excellence and innovation.

This policy is envisioned to be a lighthouse that will guide all Vision Group media practitioners to inform, educate and entertain our audiences and the publics in a responsible and professional manner.

This policy, a culmination of a four-year journey, began in 2011 when we moved to different parts of the country gathering views from all Vision Group newspaper, magazine, radio, TV and digital journalists.

This document has been reviewed at various levels and at the various stages the journalists and the public have directly or indirectly been involved. We are grateful for every individual contribution and the dedication given to the formation of the guidelines contained herein.

We set out to achieve an internationally respected editorial policy that would nevertheless be appropriate and relevant to the local environment in which we operate.

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In this policy we jealously guard the tenets of the media but are also keenly aware of the vulnerability of the practitioners and the fact that freedom of the media dictates even more responsibility. The resolve to courageously and professionally play our role to inform, educate and entertain is either implicitly or explicitly laid out in the policy.

This policy is, therefore, dedicated to our audiences and the publics who are placed at the centre of our editorial operations.

We are indebted to David Mukholi, the Managing Editor in charge of journalistic standards at Vision Group, for wholly engrossing himself into drafting this document.

We greatly appreciate the Vision Group CEO, Mr. Robert Kabushenga, the Management team and the Board for the invaluable contribution and support through this process. We would like to specifically acknowledge Dr. Monica Chibita, Captain Gad Gasaatura, Mr. Charles Tukacungurwa and Mr. Orono Otweyo for taking time to read through the policy and for the brilliant insights.

We would also like to make special mention of Mr. Bill Ristow and Ms. Theresa Morrow, media trainers based in the US, for their invaluable mentorship to our editorial teams.

We are indebted to the veteran journalist trainer Michael Pierson living in Wales in the UK, who has over the years taken time to give us valuable feedback on our products and on this policy.

We also acknowledge our professional colleagues, Mr. David Sseppuuya, Mr. Aggrey Mugisha, Ms. Elizabeth Mckinnel, Ms. Rachel Nandelenga and Mr. Kenneth Lukwago for the invaluable feedback and edits.

We trust that this editorial policy is also a great contribution to the documentation of journalistic practice in Uganda and it shall act as a reference beyond the Vision Group media house.

We believe that this policy will offer constant illumination to the journalists to deliver compelling and professional content that advances society and our country.

Barbara Kaija Editor-in-Chief, Vision Group September 2014 5

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Terms In this Editorial Policy the term: Journalist is generically used to refer to media practitioners who include Reporters, Editors, Sub-Editors, News Anchors, Presenters, Producers, Programmers, Programme Directors, Station Managers, Cartoonists, Graphic Designers, Photographers, Camerapersons and Social Media /Website Content Producers and Managers.

Editorial Management is constituted by the Editor-in-Chief and the heads of all media channels.

Vision Group Core Values are the provision of service in the promotion of a better society, with Honesty, Innovation, Courage, Excellence, Zero tolerance to corruption, Social Responsibility and Fairness.

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1.0 Introduction The world over, the media is a powerful institution that can build or destroy society. This is why professional editorial and ethical standards are developed to bind it to behaving responsibly. Some believers in absolute freedoms may misconstrue this as a limitation or even the media abdicating its duty, but it should be seen as a professional way of circumventing the tortuous challenges of journalism.

In this regard, this Editorial Policy is essential to the discharge of Vision Group’s responsibilities as a media house serving a wide range of audiences using its different platforms. It spells out the conduct of journalists, states editorial principles, sets guidelines on handling sensitive content and stipulates positions on controversial subjects in a bid to remain true to Vision Group’s principal object – A Better Society. These are blended with Vision Group’s core values, producing robust guidelines to deliver editorial products, which educate, inform and entertain.

The New Vision started out in 1986 as a national newspaper corporation with the objective of informing, educating and entertaining Ugandans. It had the mandate to disseminate information to the masses as well as propagate debate on development as provided by the New Vision Printing and Publishing Statute of 1987.

From the experience accumulated over the years, the New Vision Printing and Publishing Company Limited, now trading as Vision Group, has formulated an Editorial Policy that draws from the best local and international practices in order to serve its audiences most effectively.

This policy builds on the guidelines set out in the New Vision Printing and Publishing Statute which laid a firm foundation for the newspaper company to grow into the successful media house it is today. Specifically, Clause 19 of the statute that highlighted national responsibility and professional integrity eventually became essential in Vision Group’s functions (See Schedule I – Clause 19).

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By developing and documenting the Editorial Policy, Vision Group is demonstrating the commitment and desire to ensure audiences are served better. Furthermore, its journalists will always be judged on enforcement and compliance with the policy.

Failure to adhere to the spirit and letter of the policy will be interpreted as an inability to uphold editorial and ethical principles, and consequently a betrayal of the promise to act responsibly.

All staff and freelance journalists, columnists and panelists shall be subject to the provisions of the Editorial Policy with the Editor-in-Chief as its custodian.

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2.0 Editorial Principles 2.1 Basics 2.1.1 A ll Vision Group platforms - print, electronic, Internet-based and other social media - shall ensure accurate, fair, balanced and objective reporting and presentation of content for a better society.

2.1.2 All staff and freelance journalists shall uphold Vision Group’s values.

2.1.3 F acts in content (for instance stories, photographs, or programmes) shall not be distorted to inappropriately create impact or excite audiences.

However, the use of sound and motion effects shall be professionally applied to produce compelling content without a distortion of facts. In addition, facts shall be presented in such a way as to minimise harm to the general society.

2.1.4 W hen carrying out their work, staff and freelance journalists shall conduct themselves responsibly and professionally in generating, gathering, processing, disseminating and storing information. Therefore they shall consider the following questions:

l Have all sides been covered so that content to be published or broadcast is fair and balanced?

l Has care been taken not to provoke ethnic, tribal, racial, gender or religious outrage?

l Is the story or programme aimed at the “promotion of a better society�?

l Have precautions been taken to ensure that the story or programme does not offend societal values?

l Is the timing of the story and programme appropriate?

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If in doubt when considering the above questions, journalists shall seek the guidance of the Editor-in-Chief.

2.2 Accuracy 2.2.1. V ision Group maintains a high standard of editorial excellence and shall always endeavour to be accurate, fair and balanced in all editorial content published or broadcast. However, in case of a factual error, a correction shall be published/broadcast instantly or at the earliest opportunity on the platform on which the error appeared and where required upon consultation with the legal team.

2.2.2. Vision

Group staff and freelance journalists who, in pursuit of content, commit errors of fact as a honest mistake and in good faith shall make corrections or/and apologise as may be required.

2.2.3 I n cases where the error was a result of:

a) Deliberate distortion or in bad faith,

b) Carelessness or lack of professionalism;

c) O r if the staff or freelance journalist refused to write the correction, clarification or apology for an error which has been brought to their attention, the journalist shall be guilty of an offence and may be reprimanded, warned, suspended or dismissed.

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3.0 Editorial Accountability And Duty 3.1 Responsibility 3.1.1 V ision Group has the responsibility to inform, educate and entertain. It shall be accountable for a better society and shall do everything possible to enhance staff skills, innovation and timely delivery of content.

3.1.2 V ision Group platforms shall operate within the law and shall carry the ‘Fourth Estate’ responsibility, the public interest, to publish or broadcast:

a. Any act in breach of the law. b. Abuse of office. c. Selfish acts that put the public at a disadvantage.

3.1.3 Based on Clause 3.1.2 Vision Group shall expose:

a) Organisations that operate outside the law.

b) Persons or individuals who lead the people into acts that contravene the law thus breaching peace and stability.

c) O rganisations and individuals referred to above through thorough investigation, balanced, fair and accurate content in as far as it affects the public interest.

3.1.4 In the exercise of its duty of informing, educating and entertaining its audiences Vision Group shall seek to promote the better society through the following:

a) Sustainable development.

b) The rule of law.

c) Stability, harmony, unity and peace.

3.1.5 V ision Group shall, within reasonable means, publicise government policies to generate and shape debate, and also to inform the public about development programmes so that they can hold the respective authorities accountable. The decision to publish or broadcast government policies shall be at the discretion of the Editorial Management.

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3.1.6 V ision Group shall point out any weaknesses and failures of any public policy and voice public opinion and criticisms constructively, fairly, and objectively without either becoming an institutional opponent of the government and its interests. This does not hinder unearthing and exposing inefficiency, wastage, abuse of office and corruption in any Government department.

3.2 Audiences 3.2.1 To ensure satisfaction, regular research shall be carried out to get audience feedback and develop appropriate content.

3.2.2 Every platform shall at all times endeavour to carry political, economic and social content tailored to the needs of its audiences for a better society.

3.3 Content 3.3.1 V ision Group shall not charge money for the coverage and publication of news and opinion. However, in special cases, some content, including talk-shows on TV and radio, as well as supplements and advertorials in newspapers, shall be paid-for or sponsored. Such content shall be clearly labelled and identified as paid-for programmes, supplements, and advertorials.

3.3.2 A ll information gathered by Vision Group platforms is primarily meant for the audiences.

If for any reason commissioned content cannot be published or broadcast, it shall be documented and archived for internal use, including training and reference. However,

a) Content that has been published or broadcast may be made available to other media, organisations or agencies for free or at a fee with the approval of the Editor-in-Chief.

b) With reference to the above, every attempt shall be made to inform the journalist who originated the content and he/she shall retain the byline or credit.

3.3.3 Vision

Group may accept contributions from the public which shall be published/ broadcast as opinion but also reserves the right to publish or broadcast.

3.3.4 For material to be considered for publication or broadcast as opinion:

a) It must conform to Vision Group’s Editorial Policy.

b) T he originator must state his/her name in full accompanied by a phone number and address. This must be done even if he/she prefers anonymity.

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3.4 Personnel 3.4.1 I n carrying out its responsibilities, Vision Group shall rely on both staff and freelance journalists with skills and abilities relevant to the various platforms. Editors, sub-editors, reporters, news anchors, station managers, producers, presenters, photographers, camerapersons and any others, as decided by Editorial Management, shall constitute the workforce to enable Vision Group to operate as a media house.

3.4.2 All the staff shall be remunerated in accordance with the salary grades set by the company. Cases for special remuneration shall be considered by Editorial Management upon consultation with the Human Resources Management.

3.4.3 Freelance journalists’ pay shall be based on the volume/type of content published or broadcast and they shall serve under contract which prohibits them from selling commissioned content to any other media or agency. Those who are not on contract, also known as occasional contributors, shall not use Vision Group facilities.

(See Schedule II - Freelance Journalists).

3.4.4 Columnists/panelists shall be approved by the Editorial Management and shall be subject to the provisions of this policy.

3.4.5 Vision Group shall promote citizen journalism, which is the involvement of members of the public in contributing content. They shall support the gathering of content, widening coverage and sustaining Vision Group’s responsibility of informing, educating and entertaining.

3.4.6 Individuals expressing an interest in participating in citizen journalism shall periodically be identified, enlisted and given basic training in journalism.

3.4.7 C itizen journalists shall mainly contribute community development and human interest stories, and shall conform to Vision Group’s Editorial Policy.

3.4.8 Citizen journalists shall not be considered Vision Group employees. They shall provide content to Vision Group platforms alongside their other vocations.

3.4.9 Editors and producers shall edit content from Citizen Journalists to acceptable professional standards.

3.5 Journalists’ Safety 3.5.1 V ision Group has the responsibility of ensuring the safety of journalists while on assignment and their editors/producers shall enforce professional caution in this 13

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regard. They shall assess the risk and guide the journalist on how to stay safe. In this regard, editors/producers shall always refer to the mandatory safety guidelines.

3.5.2 A journalist may decline an assignment if he/she feels it is unsafe or that it puts his/ her life in danger. In such cases one shall have a discussion with the assigning editor/ producer and present a reasonable explanation.

3.5.3 All staff and freelance journalists on official assignment shall be insured. Any of their equipment registered with Vision Group, which is damaged or lost in the course of duty shall be replaced or repaired.

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4.0 Editorial Ethics 4.1 Professional practice 4.1.1 A ll staff and freelance journalists shall cross-check the information they have and ensure it is accurate, fair and balanced before it is published or broadcast. For this reason they shall:

a) Make sure stories are multi-sourced with quotes/voices from affected persons, authorities, interested parties, and with necessary background and context.

b) E ndeavour to use firsthand sources and corroborate all information gathered from them.

c) C ross-check facts, figures and dates and present them in a style that can be understood by an average reader, viewer or listener.

d) E nsure accuracy by taking detailed notes. Journalists shall be expected to keep, in safe custody, their notes and recordings for future reference.

4.1.2 A journalist shall not disclose his/her sources of information except under the provisions of the law. Although obliged to respect this, the editor/producer reserves the right to publish/broadcast a story/programme presented to him/her.

4.1.3 A journalist shall not create fictitious sources in order to complete a story. This means unnamed sources must be real and only concealed for professional reasons.

4.1.4 A journalist shall endeavour to get all stories on record with named sources.

However, in the case of sensitive information some sources may request to remain anonymous, a request that shall be respected in consultation with the editor/ producer.

4.1.5 In the course of their assignments, journalists shall respect sources and not harass them to extract information. They shall be courteous and respectful when interviewing or dealing with sources.

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4.1.6 I n the event that a source provides information off the record, the source shall be respected.

4.1.7 In cases of uncooperative sources, a journalist shall state this fact in the story or programme.

4.1.8 Editors/producers have the final decision over whether or not to publish/broadcast a story (content).

4.1.9 Vision Group’s value of zero tolerance to corruption means all staff and freelance journalists shall maintain integrity when carrying out their responsibility of informing, educating and entertaining. In this regard, no journalist shall ask for or accept a bribe or other inducements to publish or suppress the publication/broadcast of a story/programme. Similarly a journalist who receives money to distort a story acts unprofessionally and shall face disciplinary action.

4.1.10 J ournalists shall not use corrupt means like paying sources to get information but rather apply journalistic standards. In the case of an overriding need to facilitate a source, for instance when he/she has valuable documents, photographs, video and audio recordings regarding a story /content of national magnitude or in public interest, a decision shall be taken by the Editorial Management.

4.1.11 All gifts/ tokens of appreciation, exceeding $50 in cash value, given without any conditions attached shall be declared to supervisors who shall advise on whether the recipient shall keep them or not. Failure to declare shall be construed as an attempt to conceal the truth and be in breach of this policy and the Human Resource Policy on gifts.

4.1.12 V ision Group shall provide all the necessary means for its journalists in the field so that they do not rely on money or transport provided by the source. There shall be exceptions for a journalist deployed in hard-to-reach areas. If sources offer help in such instances the editor/producer shall be involved in the discussion. On sponsored trips, such as for sports or travel, the publication/broadcast shall carry a note indicating so. Military flights/transport, plus warfront ‘embedment’ shall be reported as part of the story.

4.1.13 S taff and freelance journalists shall declare a conflict of interest when it arises and request not to be involved in gathering, processing, publishing and broadcasting content that involves their friends, relatives or close sources, and any other personal interests such as political, economic, and social connections.

4.1.14 I t shall be deemed unethical practice for staff and freelance journalists to disclose to friends, sources, or relatives any information about a story or programme being done about them before it is published/broadcast.

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4.1.15 P lans for stories and programme shall not be disclosed to persons outside Vision Group. Exceptions shall only be made in cases where a journalist has to reveal the story when seeking comments from a source.

4.1.16 Showing stories or content details to sources for approval is totally unacceptable.

Journalists shall submit stories/content to their editor/producer who has the final say on whether they are published/broadcast or not. However, stories/content for advertisers’ supplements and advertorials are exempted from this rule.

Editors are also not allowed to submit stories to sources for approval. In the event a source demands to preview a story/programme (content), the matter shall be referred to the Editor-in-Chief.

4.1.17 J ournalists shall carry out background research before embarking on a story or programme. In case of an interview they must do adequate preparations so as to ask informed and probing questions to develop a good story/programme. (See Schedule III - Interview Tips) 4.1.18 J ournalists are assigned by their editors or other persons of responsibility and not people outside Vision Group. Therefore, it is unethical for them to be on the payrolls of politicians, businesspersons, organisations and NGOs.

Requests for coverage shall be directed to editors who shall assign a journalist who is available. Editors/producers shall decide whether to deploy a journalist or not.

4.1.19 A journalist shall respect the principle of right of reply to avoid writing/producing a one-sided story.

4.1.20 A journalist shall cover all sides of a story and multi-source it to ensure balance.

4.1.21 A journalist shall not write a story or develop a programme that promotes tribalism, religious intolerance, racism, gender bias or any other form of discrimination.

4.1.22 To improve his or her skills a journalist shall draw a plan for personal improvement not including formal education courses, which shall periodically be discussed with his/her supervisor. On its part Vision Group shall regularly provide in-house training which must be attended by all journalists.

4.1.23 A journalist shall be required to take any assignment outside his/her beat of specialty.

To enhance journalistic skills and improve Vision Group products, journalists shall be required to rotate beats.

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4.1.24 Although Vision Group encourages specialisation, a journalist shall not personalise a beat and geographical area, barring others from covering or operating in it. He/she shall be made aware that for variation in presentation of content other journalists may be assigned to the same beat or geographical area.

4.1.25 No platform shall rely on press releases or conferences alone to develop content unless there is overwhelming news value. Under this policy, press releases/conferences shall be treated as tips to be followed to produce balanced, fair, and objective stories or programmes.

4.1.26 A ll Vision Group staff and freelance journalists in their respective teams shall strive to contribute across media platforms. Editors/producers shall endeavour to create story angles relevant to audiences of their respective audiences.

4.1.27 Content considered as exclusive shall be for the platform that developed it as stipulated in the Scoop Policy (See Schedule IV- Scoop Policy).

4.1.28 R adio and TV programmes shall have producers to keep them on track as per the set central theme/guidelines and also ensure consistency with the provisions of the Editorial Policy.

4.1.29 Vision Group shall endeavour to recognise journalists’ contribution by giving them a byline/credit on the content they produce. However, the byline/credit shall be withheld when:

a) It is deemed risky for the journalists name to be disclosed.

b) Content is based on a press release which a journalist has not substantially improved.

c) In case of newspapers, where a journalist has more than one story on a page, only one shall carry his/her byline 4.1.30 If a byline/credit is withheld for whatever reason, it shall be unethical for any journalist and Vision Group employee to disclose the names of the journalist whose identity has been concealed.

4.1.31 I t is unethical for journalists to use Vision Group’s resources for personal interests and advancement. Similarly, it is unacceptable for them to contribute to any media deemed to be a competitor. Any contribution to other media must not amount to denying Vision Group content or revenue.

4.1.32 V ision Group journalists are urged to abide by the Professional Code of Conduct appended to this Editorial Policy (Schedule V- Professional Code of Ethics).

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5.0 Editorial Content 5.1 News 5.1.1 N ews stories shall be determined on news value. All such stories in print and electronic media shall carry the voices of the affected parties, authorities, opinion leaders and experts on the issues in the news.

5.1.2 Comments and statements in the news shall carry attribution so that they do not appear or sound like the writers’ opinion. Care shall be taken that no single view dominates to distort the news and make the story appear in favour of one side.

5.1.3 N ews stories shall be based on facts and shall be fair, objective, balanced, and accurate.

5.1.4 Journalists on the scene shall report facts as they are and not add their opinion to them.

5.2 Opinion 5.2.1 V ision Group shall allow the publication and broadcast of opinion in designated sections on every platform. Editors reserve the right to publish/ broadcast. Opinion shall be clearly labelled as such.

5.2.2 Opinion published/broadcast shall conform to the Editorial Policy.

5.3 Advertisements 5.3.1 V ision Group shall carry advertising as paid-for content meant for publicity and marketing of institutions, persons, products or services.

5.3.2 Adverts shall be distinct from Editorial Content in form (e.g. fonts and other design elements, jingles, voice-overs and actual voices). Regular news readers or presenters’ voices shall not be used in adverts running on electronic platforms.

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5.3.3 Journalists shall not promote products or services on air or in written content. Off air or out of the newsroom, journalists shall not get involved in commercial promotions or adverts.

5.3.4 All advertising shall conform to the provisions of the Editorial Policy. Unless there is overwhelming news value and Editorial Management approval, such content shall not be re-packaged as editorial content.

5.3.5 Unless it is advertorial, no platform shall publish or broadcast stories or programmes in return for an advertisement or as a condition set by an advertiser without the approval of the Editorial Management.

5.3.6 The sales team shall not unilaterally promise coverage or free publicity to persuade persons or institutions to advertise.

5.3.7 A dvertising spend on any Vision Group platform shall not guarantee an advertiser positive news coverage and free publicity.

5.3.8 Adverts which go against the Editorial Policy shall be subject to approval by the Editorin-Chief to ensure conformity to the overall editorial standards of Vision Group.

5.4 Talk-Shows 5.4.1 Presenters/hosts shall endeavour to present talk-shows in a professional manner.

5.4.2 Radio and TV presenters or hosts shall be required to carry out research on the topic of discussion so as to make the shows informative and educative.

5.4.3 Each electronic media platform of the Vision Group shall set up a committee to manage and monitor talk-shows. The committee shall agree on the topics and guests, and also ensure continuous improvement of the programmes. It will study the prevailing social, economic and political developments and select topics relevant to the audiences.

5.4.4 The above provision (5.4.3) shall not apply to paid-for talk-shows but the topics of discussion on paid-for talk-shows must be consistent with all the provisions of the Editorial Policy.

5.4.5 Every attempt shall be made to have representatives of all major political views on the panel on every political talk-show. In this regard each platform may consider having a set panel that can be changed regularly. Persons with alternative views not affiliated to any political group/views shall be considered whenever necessary.

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5.4.6 Uninvited guests shall not be allowed into the studio to participate on a talk-show.

5.4.7 Phone calls and social media posts shall be accepted during some talk-shows and presenters shall endeavour to get a proper balance of the views. The presenters shall professionally handle inflammatory and provocative contributions to avoid either inciting or offending the audience.

5.4.8 Setting up or tricking people or listeners over the phone to get information from them without the knowledge that they are on air is unacceptable. For recorded programme/show the sources/interviewees shall be informed when it will be broadcast. It is also unacceptable to set up people to talk about their spouses, relatives and friends unaware that they are in the studio or on another line listening.

5.4.9 When necessary, presenters may make mystery calls professionally for purposes of entertainment and not to ridicule, expose or shame people. Mystery calls carrying anniversary greetings to mark birthdays, wedding days and any other occasion are acceptable.

5.5 Investigative Journalism 5.5.1 Each Vision Group media platform shall have functional investigation desks to generate in-depth content using secret and open sources as well as documents.

Editors/producers shall ensure investigative stories are based on defendable evidence and shall consult the legal team before their publication/broadcast.

5.5.2 Undercover investigations necessitating a journalist to disguise his or her identity shall be one of the techniques used. However, it shall only apply to stories commissioned by the investigation desk or a senior editor/producer with the approval of the Editorin-Chief. It is also only justified if there are no other means of doing the story in question.

5.5.3 A journalist who undertakes an undercover assignment shall be professional and required to report to his/her supervisor every development during the gathering of content and also provide evidence that he/she is carrying out the investigations. To ensure the journalist’s safety his/her identity shall be concealed.

5.5.4 All items (or specimens) collected during investigation shall immediately be declared to the Editorial Management to decide those that are to be stored or disposed of.

Methods of disposal shall be agreed upon on a case by case basis.

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5.6 Photographs/Images 5.6.1 F or audience appeal, Vision Group shall endeavour to professionally use illustrations (photograph, graphic, drawing or any other) to illustrate stories. Depending on the circumstances, the illustrations may be current or from the archive/file.

5.6.2 Drawings shall be used to illustrate stories in instances where relevant photographs cannot be taken or are not available.

5.6.3 Models may be considered to illustrate stories where related photographs are practically impossible to take. The captions on the illustrations shall clearly state the use of models for purposes of illustrating the story. In case of reconstructing an incident/event for TV, it will be clearly stated as such.

5.6.4 Newspapers and magazines may also contract models to illustrate fashion and beauty stories.

5.6.5 In both 5.6.3 and 5.6.4 modelling shall either be for a fee or free based on mutual understanding. However, consent shall be signed stating the terms. As a standard practice Vision Group staff and freelance journalists shall not be used as models to illustrate a newspaper story.

5.6.6 E fforts shall be taken to ensure news items on TV are accompanied by relevant footage.

It may be current, from the archive/file or a combination of both.

5.6.7 V ision Group platforms shall avoid publishing or broadcasting photos/images of dead bodies. In the rare case of overriding news value such as death of a public figure, notorious rebels, national catastrophes, etc. the Editor-in-Chief shall be consulted before such photographs/ images are published or broadcast.

5.6.8 E xtra caution shall be taken not to shock audiences with gruesome images and footage or audio/sound bites that might traumatise them. These include images of tragic scenes like accidents, disasters and suicides. In the event that the images referred to in this clause and 5.6.7 have to be used due to the overwhelming news value, professional devices and techniques shall be used to tone down the impact of such gruesome photos and footage.

5.6.9 V ision Group shall not publish pictures/images of human parts severed from the body and in cases where there is overriding news value refer to 5.6.8.

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5.7 Social Media 5.7.1 S taff and freelance journalists may use social media to engage audiences, follow developments on some stories on TVs, radios and newspapers. They may also use them to build contacts, solicit comments, pre-test content or find content tips. However, caution shall be taken because social media has much unverified content and some contributors use pseudonyms. For this reason:

a) Postings on social media shall be treated as story tips for further investigation.

b) Quotes, photos, comments and video clips shall not be lifted from social media and used on Vision Group platforms unless the identity of the author has been established and consent for use secured in compliance with the Copyright Law.

5.7.2 U nless authorised by the Editorial Management, staff and freelance journalists shall not appear to be representing Vision Group’s views on their private social media platforms.

Caution shall be taken to ensure their personal views are not construed as Vision Group’s position.

Staff and freelance journalists are also restricted from discussing official matters, story ideas and stories/content on social media unless authorised.

5.7.3 E ditors may grant permission to staff and freelance journalists to post alerts of stories/ content they are working on or actual stories to social media without giving the details that would result in a leak to other media houses or their audiences.

5.7.4 Staff and freelance journalists shall ensure their conduct on social media is not detrimental to Vision Group’s image.

5.7.5 All Vision Group platforms shall have an active official social media channel to disseminate information, get feedback and market themselves. Staff and freelance journalists shall not post on the official social media platforms attacks on other media houses, individuals and organisations.

(See Schedule VI - Social Media Policy)

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6.0 Editorial Positions 6.1 Human Rights 6.1.1 V ision Group shall endeavour to promote rights and freedoms of individuals and groups.

6.1.2 I n content gathering, publishing and broadcast, Vision Group shall ensure that no individual or organisation is discriminated against.

6.2 Disability 6.2.1 In handling content, persons with disability shall be treated with dignity.

6.3 Gender Equality 6.3.1 V ision Group shall make a deliberate effort to promote both male and female and not favour one over the other. Efforts shall be made to balance women and men’s views in content published/broadcast.

6.3.2 V ision Group shall support equal opportunity for men and women on the premise that both ought to have equal opportunities to positions, responsibilities, assignments and pay subject to competence and competitiveness.

6.3.3 When it is deemed necessary Vision Group shall support affirmative action.

6.4 Politics and Elections 6.4.1 V ision Group shall endeavour to cover all politicians, political parties and candidates in a fair and balanced manner, based on news value.

6.4.2 No platform shall endorse a political party or candidate in any election. However, this does not prevent the publication and broadcast of predictions and credible opinion polls.

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6.4.3 V ision Group may announce election results released by authorised electoral officials at the polling stations which shall be reported as provisional until the Electoral Commission declares the final results.

6.4.4 E lection coverage shall be in accordance with Vision Group’s set guidelines (See Schedule VII - Election Coverage Guidelines).

6.4.5 All political interviews for the newspapers, radios, TVs and online media platforms shall be carried out in a professional manner. Interviewers shall prepare for the interview and accord respect to the interviewee.

6.4.6 Election advertising shall be scrutinised to ensure that the political party or candidate that is advertising is registered, participating in the election, and has members (for the party).

6.4.7 E lection adverts shall be vetted for taste, fairness, truthfulness, potential to inflame public emotions, risk of defamation and libel as well as offensive illustrations/images.

6.5 Demonstrations and Strikes 6.5.1 V ision Group shall not announce, advertise or promote intentions to strike, boycott, demonstrate or protest. This is meant to avoid being used by external forces to mobilise people for such activities.

6.5.2 In case organisers have secured permission in accordance with the law, the Editorial Management shall have the discretion to report or advertise such planned protests or demonstrations.

6.6 Religion 6.6.1 V ision Group shall respect religious inclinations, recognise diversities and shall not favour or support any particular religion or faith. However, any unorthodox practices that put the lives and properties of followers of any religion at risk shall be exposed.

6.6.2 In covering religious practices, professionalism and corroboration shall be applied. In as far as reporting faith related miracles is concerned, Vision Group shall attempt to corroborate them to establish the truth.

6.6.3 Supernatural practices shall be presented professionally and therefore not slanted to appear as truth.

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6.6.4 V ision Group shall not use any of its platforms to promote witchcraft or any related practices. In reporting witchcraft, care shall be taken not to make it look like a reliable option to health and social problems. Therefore:

a) Glorification of witchdoctors and their practices will not be allowed on Vision Group’s platforms in any form including music, films, stories and advertorials.

b) Witchcraft practices and their associated beliefs shall not be presented as truth.

6.6.5 Attention shall be paid to the following when gathering, editing, publishing and broadcasting content:

a) It is important to distinguish between witchcraft and herbal medicine. Witchcraft is the use of mystical powers that are harmful, while herbal medicine is extracted from plants and the persons who administer it are known as herbalists.

b) V ision Group shall ensure that herbal medicine practitioners used as sources are licensed by the National Drug Authority.

6.7 Culture and Traditions 6.7.1 V ision Group shall publish/broadcast culturally relevant and sensitive content in a responsible and professional manner.

6.7.2 Derogatory stereotypes assigned to certain ethnic groups, gender, race, and people shall not be used or referred to in any content to avoid offending and demeaning sections of Vision Group’s audiences and the public.

6.7.3 Care shall be taken to avoid the portrayal of individual wrongs as those of a family, ethnic group, race or community.

6.7.4 V ision Group shall avoid portraying certain Ugandan cultures and ethnic groups as superior and others inferior. However, harmful practices that go against human rights regardless of the ethnic group from which they originate shall be exposed.

6.8 Health, Medicine and Medical Practices 6.8.1 V ision Group shall take care when handling content on health and medical issues to ensure audiences are not misled. In this regard, only registered health professionals shall qualify to be content sources and participate on talk-shows on health to guarantee that the public is not subjected to false information from bogus medical practitioners.

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6.8.2 T o discourage self-prescription, no platform shall give details about drugs. Information about what they cure and the dosage shall not be published/ broadcast unless there is overriding news value. Even then care shall be taken not to provide details that could lead to drug abuse. Relatedly, drugs that terminate pregnancies or life, anti-depressants / stress relievers and those used in treatment of mental illness shall not be named.

6.8.3 In cases of alternative medicine like herbal, nutrition and complimentary therapy, Vision Group shall seek an extra expert opinion before publishing or broadcasting related content.

6.8.4 P aid-for health programmes shall be consistent with the Editorial Policy and clearly identified or labelled as sponsored.

6.8.5 D isclosure of a person’s health status especially so in case of terminal illness shall require the consent of the individual.

6.8.6 V ision Group shall rely on credible sources of information and/or postmortem results when reporting deaths.

6.8.7 V ision Group shall endeavour to inform and educate its audiences about different illnesses. To this end:

a) D eliberate effort shall be made to professionally handle stigmatising health conditions such as HIV/AIDS, mental illness, epilepsy and others that shall be identified. b) N o platform shall publish or broadcast content about acts committed by mentally ill persons as a result of their illness, unless there is overriding news value.

6.8.8 D ue to its adverse and irreversible effects on human health, Vision Group shall not publish or broadcast content including advertorials that promote cigarette smoking and any related tobacco products including narcotic drugs. By inference, this restricts the publication and broadcasting of content promoting tobacco growing/farmers and Corporate Social Responsibility activities carried out by cigarette manufactures/ tobacco companies if they are aimed at encouraging cigarette smoking. In addition, Vision Group platforms shall not promote stimulants – drugs and prohibited substanceslike marijuana, cocaine and mairungi (Mira/Khat).

6.8.9 E xtra care shall be taken when publishing/broadcasting content on HIV/AIDS. All journalists must know that AIDS is a range of conditions which occur when a person’s immune system is seriously damaged by the HIV infection. Someone who is infected 27

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with HIV has antibodies to the virus but may not have developed any of the illnesses which constitute AIDS. In this regard Vision Group shall use the following terms:

a) HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) instead of AIDS VIRUS or HIV VIRUS. b) P erson Living with HIV, Person with HIV, Person living with HIV/AIDS or People living with HIV/AIDS. c) HIV infection d) HIV positive e) HIV/AIDS.

Vision Group platforms shall not use the following terms:

a) AIDS, if the intention is to refer to HIV.

b) A IDS victim or sufferer because when used many people living with HIV/AIDS feel these terms imply they are powerless, with no control over their lives.

c) A IDS carrier because this term is highly offensive and stigmatising to many people with HIV/AIDS. It is also incorrect: the infective agent is HIV.

d) Full blown AIDS because this term implies there is such a thing as “half-blown AIDS�. A person only has AIDS when they present with an AIDS-defining illness such as an opportunistic infection.

e) AIDS patient. However this can be used to describe someone who has AIDS and who is, in the context of the story, in a medical setting. Most of the time, a person living with HIV is not a patient.

6.9 Environment 6.9.1 A ll Vision Group media platforms shall promote the sustainable use of the environment and natural resources.

6.9.2 Dangers of environmental degradation shall be reported.

6.9.3 Vision Group shall champion environmental preservation and conservation activities. It shall also occasionally participate in such activities and also partner with other agencies to contribute to preservation and conservation efforts.

6.10 Children 6.10.1 U nder this policy anyone under 18 years is regarded as a child or minor. Children shall be allowed the opportunity to grow normally without undue intrusion.

Care shall be taken to ensure that their misfortunes, sufferings and misdeeds are not 28

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reported in such a manner that will stigmatise or haunt them in future and earn them rejection or ridicule. For the same reasons, Vision Group shall not drag them into misdeeds and disputes involving their parents or families through its reporting and programming.

6.10.2 I n recognition of children’s inability to differentiate between right and wrong, Vision Group platforms shall not reveal the identity of children who commit offences. Unless there is overwhelming news values, the names of their parents, siblings and school shall not be disclosed so as not to give away the identity of those who commit offences including those appearing before court.

6.10.3 The identities of children who are exploited and harassed shall not be revealed in order to protect their future welfare.

6.10.4 Vision Group shall not interview children on any controversial or sensitive issue without the consent of their parents, guardians or person in authority unless the story is intended to highlight their plight. However, Vision Group may organise or cover mock debates and forums in which children’s views on political, economic and social issue are expressed and reported.

6.10.5 W henever they participate in competitions, Vision Group shall as much as possible give non-cash prizes to children including items that help them improve their performance in school, co-curricular activities and any acceptable domestic work. When warranted, money shall be handed over to parents, guardians or responsible persons. Exceptions may be made for child-headed households.

6.11 Crime 6.11.1 V ision Group shall responsibly cover crime stories without shocking/traumatising, offending sensibilities or causing anxiety, panic or fear in the society. To achieve this, journalists shall try to get a comment from Police or other authorities on record, except when it proves futile.

6.11.2 When covering a crime that has been reported to the Police the story shall have a case file number, the date and police station where the case was recorded.

6.11.3 I n the course of investigating crime stories, Vision Group’s journalists shall be professional and not appear to be working on behalf of the Police or any other authority.

6.11.4 In the process of reporting crime, journalists shall exercise responsibility and 29

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professionalism in order not to interfere with Police investigations.

6.11.5 I n covering crime Vision Group shall recognise that any arrested person is deemed innocent until proven guilty. Therefore, he/she must be presented as a suspect and not a criminal until the court rules so.

6.11.6 V ision Group shall not, in its coverage, abet criminal activity or even be perceived to encouraging it.

6.11.7 The rule of sub-judice shall be respected for any case before the courts. This means that when reporting cases Vision Group is restricted to proceedings only and not the merit or demerits of cases before court.

6.12 Defilement and Rape 6.12.1 D efilement is when any person has sex with a minor (See Schedule VIII - Defilement).

Based on the children protection clause, the following shall be adhered to:

a) Defilement victims shall be protected and hence shall not be named. Their parents and siblings’ details shall be omitted in all content to ensure their identities remain anonymous.

b) Parents or relatives of the victims who speak on record may be quoted but shall remain anonymous.

c) T he faces of defilement victims shall be concealed in photographs appearing in the newspapers and TV footage.

d) W hen a suspected defiler is named, the case number extracted from the Police record must be quoted in the story.

e) As a contribution to the fight against the vice, defilement suspects shall be named as long as the Police have opened a file on them (See d above). For the same reason, if the defiler or suspected defiler is a parent or any other relative he/she shall be named.

6.12.2 T he identity of an adult who is raped shall be concealed unless he/she consents to disclosure.

Disclosure guidelines to be followed are:

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a) The consequence of the revelation which includes stigma must be explained to the rape victim.

b) C onsent must be signed to avoid rape victims later accusing Vision Group of intrusion into their suffering.

c) Stories about rape victims who are murdered will be professionally handled with due respect for the dead and sensitivity to their families.

6.13 Abortion 6.13.1 Abortion

is prohibited under the laws of Uganda. Vision Group shall not publish/ broadcast information that encourages abortion.

6.13.2 Vision

Group shall not intentionally provide information on drugs including herbs prescribed for abortion.

6.13.3 W hen covering cases of abortion, Vision Group platforms shall show the dangers and consequences of the practice in a way that discourages rather than encourages it.

6.14 Homosexuality 6.14.1 S ame sex relationships are prohibited under the laws of Uganda. Therefore Vision Group shall not:

a) Publish or broadcast content including adverts that propagate the practice of homosexuality.

b) Publish and broadcast content including adverts attacking or ridiculing persons of same sex orientation, activists of the practice or messages promoting it.

6.14.2 U nder this policy, Vision Group is only permitted to publish or broadcast content on homosexuality originating from:

a) Parliamentary sessions, b) Courts of law and c) The President.

6.15 Pornography and Nudity 6.15.1 U nder this policy, pornography is the publishing/broadcasting of sexually explicit 31

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material capable of causing sexual arousal. These materials are stories and photographs (still and motion) for print and electronic platforms.

Programmes on TV and Radio including music, art pieces, films and talk-shows are some of the material referred to.

Vision Group shall not publish/broadcast the following:

a) Offensive, obscene or sexually explicit language. b) Images of a sexual act of any nature. c) Images of erotic kissing. d) Images of couples fondling. e) Bestiality articles and images.

6.15.2 Under this policy nudity is the act of a human being walking, sleeping, seated or standing naked. In this regard, Vision Group shall not publish/broadcast images which expose human genitalia (or other sexual body parts) except for medical purposes and such images shall be professionally presented so as not to shock audiences.

6.15.3 A s a responsible media house, Vision Group, in the case of overriding news value, may publish or broadcast any image deemed to be nude but appropriate editing devices shall be used to blur the offensive parts.

6.16 Prostitution 6.16.1 Prostitution is illegal under the laws of Uganda. Stories or programmes that promote, encourage or glorify prostitution shall not be published or broadcast.

6.16.2 V ision Group shall not present poverty and unemployment as causes or justification for prostitution, and will highlight the dangers of the vice.

6.16.3 C ontent that glorifies prostitutes and prostitution shall not be published or broadcast.

However, content about reformed prostitutes will be published/broadcast.

6.17 Taste and Decency 6.17.1 V ision Group is a media house that stands for decency and will endeavour not to provide content in vulgar language and erotic images. For this reason:

a) Content shall not contain vulgarities and profanities. As much as possible Vision Group shall not publish/ broadcast content with such language. However, if it has 32

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to be aired on electronic platforms they shall carry an age rating and broadcast after mid-night as adults only content.

b) S tories/programmes with sex related content must be for educative purposes and must be presented in a respectful and responsible way.

6.18 Privacy 6.18.1 V ision Group platforms shall respect the right to privacy. This means publishing or broadcast of content about the private lives of individuals without their consent is not acceptable unless it is in the public interest.

6.18.2 P ublishing or broadcast of information related to an individual’s private life found on his /her Facebook wall and any other social media facility may be deemed as intrusion and shall only be used with consent and after verification.

6.19 Intrusion into Grief 6.19.1 Stories and programmes featuring bereaved persons must be handled sensitively.

Unless they are ready and willing to talk, the bereaved shall not be pressed for interviews and details about the person they have lost.

6.19.2 A journalist covering a bereaved person or family must express his or her sympathy and be respectful. He/she shall get information about the deceased from any credible sources and not necessarily from the grieved person or family. Such information must be corroborated before being published or broadcast.

6.20 Gambling 6.20.1 V ision Group shall not glorify and glamourise gambling including sports betting but expose its adverse effects.

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7.0 Editorial Resources 7.1 Resource Centre 7.1.1 T he Resource Centre shall be the custodian of Vision Group’s media content. It shall play the role of a knowledge management unit to support all platforms in enriching content by:

a) Being an all-round efficient and reliable one-stop information centre providing up- to-date background research and support for the production of content including news, features, documentaries and programmes across all Vision Group’s platforms. b) Carrying

out research and also identifying, acquiring, documenting and archiving material to support content gathering and development. Staff and freelance journalists shall be required to exploit the resource centre material in order to produce quality work. c) P reserving and ensuring access to Vision Group’s editorial content by inhouse and external users.

7.1.2 All journalists shall submit material like reports and other publications acquired during the course of gathering content to the Resource Centre.

7.1.3 T he Resource Centre shall manage rights and permissions to use Vision Group’s content. In this regard it shall also market and syndicate content to external customers and partners.

7.2 Copyright 7.2.1 Copyright

is the right acquired from literary artistic or musical works such as books, articles, drama and music productions, art, photographs, electronic data banks, fixations and other creative works. Under this policy all Vision Group platforms shall respect copyright laws.

7.2.2 W hen staff and freelance journalists produce content (write stories, take photos, 34

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write scripts, produce jingles, create tagline/slogans or shoot footage) in the course of their employment or while commissioned by Vision Group, the copyright shall be vested in the company which shall have exclusive right to exploit it in whatever form including, but not limited to:

a) Publishing, producing and reproducing it in whatever form, electronic or otherwise.

b) Distributing , transferring ownership or otherwise marketing the original story by sale or other means

c) Performing the work in public

d) Broadcasting the work

e) Communicating the work

f) Commercially renting or selling the work

g) Deriving other works including translation or projects from copyrighted works.

(See Schedule IX - Intellectual Property Policy)

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8.0 Editorial Policy Implementation And Amendment 8.1.1 T he Editor-in-Chief shall be the custodian of the Editorial Policy. He/she shall regularly receive reports on compliance and with the Editorial Management act on them.

8.1.2 T he Editorial Policy shall be reviewed and amended by the Board as and when need arises.

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Schedules Schedule I - Clause 19 of the New Vision Printing and Publishing Statute, 1987.

In carrying out its functions and, in particular, the function of publishing the Government newspapers, the board shall have as its editorial policy:— l To establish an effective machinery for a wide coverage of events all over the world and Uganda in particular l To voice public opinion and criticisms of a given Government policy in a fair and objective manner without becoming an institutional opponent to the Government or its interests l To uphold the integrity of the Republic of Uganda and promote harmonious relationships among its people, its neighbours and the world at large l To propagate news and comment truthfully, honestly and fairly without jeopardising peace and harmony in the country l To respect and uphold the sovereignty and unity of Uganda and to come out firmly on its side on matters affecting such sovereignty and unity without affecting the truth which must at all times be the guiding line and governing principle of the newspapers.

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Schedule II - Freelance Journalist Who is a freelance journalist?

A freelance journalist is a person who contributes news stories, columns, photographs, graphics, and other illustrations to be published and/or broadcast on any of Vision Group print, radio, television, website and mobile phone platforms and is paid per item/piece published/broadcast other than getting a salary.

Contract Freelance Journalists These are freelance journalists who have contracts with the Vision Group. Such freelance journalists are provided with Vision Group identification and access to resources in the course of their work.

Freelance Journalists without contracts These are freelancers who contribute stories to the Vision Group on a one-time basis or periodically without any formal engagements with the Vision Group.

Determinants of a freelance journalist 1. They are paid for each story, column, clip, photograph, graphics and any other illustrations published or broadcast and on presentation of an invoice at a rate and at intervals to be determined by management from time to time.

2. They file their own annual returns personally to the Uganda Revenue Authority.

3. Vision Group does not take any financial responsibility in the conduct of their duties.

4. They may be required to pay a reasonable charge for the use of facilities at the company as shall be determined by management from time to time.

5. They are not entitled to benefits of employees such as leave.

6. They are not entitled to pay during sick leave or any day taken off work.

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Schedule III - Interview Tips Principles l Prepare with background on the individual and the subject matter l Establish a source relationship quickly l Opening question can be general to induce subject to talk freely l Have a subject in mind l Move to your subject soon and ask talk-inducing questions l Be ready to move to another subject if the interview so suggests l Listen and watch attentively l Let the source talk l Ask short questions l Try to get around “no comment” responses l Put notebook away if it impedes the interview Conduct l Never debate or argue l Never make statements l Be cooperative l Note stress factors – frequent leg crossings, fumbling with papers l Do not avoid tough, embarrassing questions if they are necessary l Do not accept retroactive off-the-record requests l Do not tamper with quotes; paraphrase if necessary l Avoid requests for anonymity whenever possible l Write detailed notes. Endeavour to do an electronic recording

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Schedule IV - Scoop Policy OBJECTIVE: To provide guidelines on handling exclusive and general stories.

In a multi-media house there are stories that will be exclusive to a specific platform. With newspapers, radio, TVs and a website the Vision Group has grown into a multi-media house.

It is imperative to have a policy defining exclusive stories and provide guidelines on how they are assigned, filed, published or broadcast.

Although exclusive stories are protected, the policy makes provisions under which they can be shared and how platforms can support each other. This can be done by promoting/ flagging each other’s content in addition to doing follow up.

Furthermore the policy stipulates which stories can be shared and how platforms can cooperate. By doing so, platforms strengthen each other and share news stories without crippling each other.

1. General news stories are not protected under the scoop policy. All stories that are likely to be used by other media houses should be dropped in the common basket for the benefit of all.

2. Editors must share lineups of general stories they are working on. Exclusive stories shall not be dropped into the common basket.

3. The news-basket shall be shared across platforms and regions (where applicable).

Therefore:

a) Editors are required to send an email informing others about the stories they have picked and plan to use.

b) All editors shall support the news-basket by sharing general stories regularly.

4. Exclusive stories and angles are protected under the scoop policy. Investigative, indepth analysis, surveys and enterprise stories are deemed to be exclusive. The Editorial Management shall plan how other platforms can benefit or help in promoting them through follow-ups.

5. Editors shall ensure the confidentiality of exclusive stories and shall not discuss them in general meetings.

6. The assigning editor shall brief the reporter handling an exclusive story in private and he/ she shall also remind the reporter that an exclusive story shall not be discussed or mailed to other editors or reporters.

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7. Columns shall be treated as exclusives and restricted to respective platforms.

a) An editor who, due to news value, chooses to use a column from another platform must clearly state where it originated. For example the note should read: “This article was first published in New Vision on November 30” OR “was first broadcast on Bukedde TV .”

8. Newspapers, TVs, Radio and online platforms shall promote and support each other through content, synergies, hints and flags.

9. Stories broken by digital media shall be presented as developing stories to allow others to do a follow up using different angles. The website shall refer readers to other platforms for the different angles.

10. The website shall be considered to be a source of information that editors and reporters must constantly visit to pick stories for follow up.

11. Editors shall hold integrated news planning meetings every day to discuss different angles of stories for the benefit of all.

12. Vision Group platforms shall support each other in respecting one another’s scoops and promoting them when required.

13. Regional newspapers shall supported by the other Vision Group’s platforms to keep exclusives relevant to their regions, especially when they intend to use them as lead stories.

14. English news aired on Vision Group’s radios and TVs shall be made available for use on other platforms.

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Schedule V - Professional Code of Ethics 1. Application of code.

This professional code of ethics applies to all persons practicing journalism and for the purposes of this code a person practises journalism if he or she is paid for the gathering, processing, publication or dissemination of information; and such persons include freelance journalists.

2. Accuracy.

(1) Journalists and editors must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.

(2) Any significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and, where appropriate, an apology should be published.

(3) A journalist or editor must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.

(4) Journalists and editors must afford a fair opportunity for reply to inaccuracies when reasonably required.

3. Privacy.

(1) Journalists and editors shall respect the constitutional right to privacy of home, correspondence, communication or other property enshrined in the Constitution.

(2) A journalist or editor must not photograph a person in a private place without that person’s consent.

(3) A journalist or editor shall not unlawfully search the person, home or property of any person or unlawfully enter the premises of any person.

(4) For the purposes of this paragraph, a private place is a public or private property where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.

4. Plagiarism.

It is unacceptable for any journalist or editor to plagiarise the professional work of any person or expropriate the work of any person without acknowledging the contribution of the owner of the work and naming his or her sources of information.

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5. Harassment.

(1) It is unethical for a journalist or editor to engage in intimidation, harassment or corruption.

(2) It is unacceptable for a journalist or editor to unreasonably persist in questioning, telephoning, pursuing or photographing a person who has asked the journalist or editor to desist from such acts.

(3) A journalist or editor shall not enter the property of another without consent, and where a journalist is granted permission to enter a person’s property, the journalist must not remain on the property if asked to leave the property.

6. Journalist to identify him or herself.

A journalist or editor must identify him or herself and the media organisation he or she represents when requested to do so.

7. Grotesque and gruesome pictures.

(1) It is unacceptable for a journalist or an editor to publish any material which is grotesque or gruesome in nature.

(2) A journalist or editor may publish a grotesque or gruesome picture in the public interest but should demonstrate the public interest that justifies the publication of such a grotesque or gruesome picture and must in any case warn the public that the material to be published is grotesque or gruesome.

8. Obscene publications.

(1) Journalists and editors must not publish obscene material including writings, drawings, prints, paintings, printed matter, pictures, posters, emblems, photographs, cinematograph films or any other obscene objects, or any other objects tending to corrupt morals.

(2) Obscenity shall be construed in its ordinary meaning.

9. Intrusion into grief or shock.

(1) In a case involving personal grief or shock, any enquiry, approach or publication by a journalist or editor in regard to such a case must be made with sympathy and discretion and the publication of such a case must be handled with sensitivity.

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(2) This paragraph should not be taken to restrict the right of the journalist or editor to report legal proceedings including inquests.

(3) Where a journalist or editor is reporting suicide or any other death, care should be taken to protect the dignity of the person and sensibilities of the relatives and public.

10. Children.

(1) A journalist or editor must not unnecessarily intrude on the learning environment of a child.

(2) A journalist or editor must not interview or photograph a child on any issue involving the child or another child unless the parent, guardian or any person having custody of the child consents.

(3) A journalist must not approach or photograph a child at school without the permission of the school authorities.

(4) For the purposes of this regulation, the fame, notoriety or position of a parent or guardian is no justification for publishing details of a child’s private life.

(5) A journalist must not identify a child who is a victim or witness in a case relating to a sex offence.

(6) In a case relating to a sex offence, a journalist must not use the word “incest� where a child victim may reasonably be identified from use of such word.

(7) A journalist must take care that his or her report relating to a sex offence does not imply a relationship between the accused and the child.

11. Reporting of crime.

Stories, pictures or information, which seek to exploit a particular crime or to glorify or glamourise crime in general, must not be published.

12. Clandestine devices and subterfuge.

(1) A journalist or editor must not intercept the communications of any person without the required legal authorisation.

(2) Engaging in misrepresentation or subterfuge by a journalist or editor, including by agents 44

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or intermediaries, can generally be justified only in the public interest and then only when the material cannot be obtained by other means.

13. Victims of sexual assault.

A journalist or editor must not identify victims of sexual assault or publish material likely to contribute to such identification unless there is adequate justification and they are legally free to do so.

14. Financial journalism.

(1) Journalists and editors must not use for their own profit financial information they receive in advance of its general publication nor should they pass such information to others.

(2) Journalists and editors must not write or publish stories about shares or securities in whose performance they know that they or their close families have a significant financial interest without disclosing the interest to the editor or financial editor.

15. Confidential sources.

Journalists and editors have a moral obligation to protect confidential sources of information and shall not disclose the source of information; but they may only divulge the source in the event of an overriding consideration of public interest and within the framework of the law.

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Schedule VI - Social Media Policy INTRODUCTION New Vision Printing and Publishing Company Limited (NVPPCL) has strategically embraced Social Media, a growing media platform that boosts interactivity with audiences and is good for marketing.

The company has various functional accounts on Social Media networks and also plans to set up more as the need arises. Everyone in the company is encouraged to embrace social media as one of the tools to communicate and engage with audiences.

Social Media is an essential media platform and also a business asset and, therefore, necessitates proper and efficient management to ensure maximum exploitation and regulation both for internal and external use by third parties. To effectively man them it employs considerable manpower to ensure the accounts contribute to audience engagement, improve awareness and market the company’s media products.

This policy recognises the dual personality of Vision Group journalists and other employees on Social Media. They are both Vision Group staff, bound by company rules and regulations, and also private individuals in their own right. Principally, the policy comes into force to regulate these two personalities and the use of social media by Vision Group journalists and other employees.

SOCIAL MEDIA For the purpose of this policy, Social Media, shall refer to a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web versions that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content. These applications include but are not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, Stumble Upon, Flicker, Bebo, Orkut, Picasa, P-Interest, LinkedIn and Google+.

The policy provides guidelines to be followed by Vision Group journalists and other employees when using social media. It specifies the persons to speak for and on behalf of Vision Group, when and why. Also it draws the line on how journalists and other employees will incorporate action points from codes of ethics, staff handbooks and universally acceptable standards.

1. 0 Employee Access The Digital Management together with IT Management shall have the discretion, through website filtering tools, to restrict access to areas of the Internet deemed non-work related.

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Social media sites shall not fall in this category although there shall be alterations of access times depending on the direction taken by management.

1.1 A ccess to social media sites shall be determined by Digital Management and managed in two ways:

1) Control of the number or types of journalists and other employees who are allowed access to social media sites or

2) Limit the types of sites that are approved for journalists and other employees’ access.

2.0 Social Media Account Management 2.1 All Vision Group social media accounts shall be exclusively created by the Head of Digital in consultation with Editorial Management.

2.2 The Digital Management shall ensure that all content conforms to the Vision Group Editorial Policy.

3. 0 Acceptable Use 3.1 All Vision Groups Internet and Social Media platforms shall be for official use only. This means all the accounts bearing Vision Group identity shall strictly be for official businesses so journalists or other employees shall not use them for private business and interests.

4. 0 Employee Conduct 4.1 All staff shall be aware that whatever they do on their private Social Media platforms may have an impact on the company. In this regard they shall endeavour to be balanced, fair, objective and accurate in their posts on their private Social Media platforms and use acceptable language.

4.3 No member of staff shall post on any social media network any material that may bring the company into disrepute.

4.4 A member of staff who does not adhere to the above provision shall be in breach of the policy and consequently company rules and regulations and shall face disciplinary action.

5. 0 Content 5.1 All content which includes text, visual and audio files on Vision Group pages shall be handled by persons designated by the Head of Digital or any designate manager/editors 47

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who shall ensure that at any one time there are sufficient number of staff managing content to keep the digital platforms active.

6. Security 6.1 T wo types of security measures shall be taken to protect Vision Group’s data. These are technical and behavioural measures. The technology concerns focus on password security, functionality, authentication of identity and virus scans. The behavioural measures relate to sanctions on what can be posted.

6.2 The Head of Digital and Editor-in-Chief shall hold all usernames and passwords for accounts operated for any Vision Group brand.

7.0 Intellectual Property 7.1 V ision Group shall remain the sole owner of the copyrights, trademarks, artistic works designs, patents, domain names, logos, slogans, tag lines or other creations derived or attached to the brand.

7.2 A journalist or employee can share content from any of the Vision Group platforms but shall not download or copy any of content onto his/her own page and give the impression it is theirs.

7.3 Unless authorised, a journalist shall not post details of a story he or she is working on to a private Social Media platform. It also follows that a journalist shall not post Vision Group content to his/her Social Media platform, before it is published/broadcasr without permission.

7.4 Every staff authorised to post on Vision Group product Facebook pages or Twitter accounts shall follow the guidelines provided by this policy and the Editorial Policy.

Where in doubt they shall consult the Editor-in-Chief or heads of platforms.

8. 0 Disclaimers 8.1 All Social Media Sites shall adopt the standard disclaimer: The statements, comments or opinions expressed through the use of New Vision Online are those of their respective authors, who are solely responsible for them, and do not necessarily represent the views held by the staff and management of New Vision Online. New Vision Online reserves the right to moderate, publish or delete a post without warning or consultation with the author. For any questions please contact digital@newvision.co.ug

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The disclaimer shall also in practice be interpreted as follows: 1) V ision Group shall not accept liability for the actions of individuals acting in any capacity.

2) Digital Management reserves the right to moderate content posted on Vision Group’s Social Media platforms.

9. Staff Conduct 9.1 All Vision Group journalists and other employees, including freelance journalists and sales executives shall conduct themselves professionally at all times, whether they are on or off duty. This shall apply to the nature of posts and comments on social media. For this reason journalists and other employees shall:

1. Refrain from using offensive language.

2. Ensure that their posts are based on fact. This is because as members of the leading media house, audiences assume Vision Group staff are sources of information thus opinions expressed on social media can be interpreted as fact or as the official position of Vision Group.

3. N ot have the authority to respond to queries from the public in relation to the company or its products/content on Social Media unless authorised.

4. A lert management whenever he/she reads something on social media that has the potential to damage the Vision Group brand, so that appropriate action is taken by relevant authorities.

5. Desist from making comments related to the performance of other companies’ products.

10.0. Citizen Conduct 10.1 V ision Group encourages feedback from external publics regarding the activities of Vision Group’s products. However, this feedback, if not handled professionally, is bound to trigger erratic emotions. Therefore, journalists and other employees shall respond with civility to all angry respondents or contributors. The person charged with responding shall draft appropriate responses that will be reviewed by Digital Management and in some cases the Editorial Management or the legal team. However, caution shall be taken not to answer in the heat of the moment.

10.2 All contributions from citizens shall comply with the Editorial Policy.

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IMPLEMENTATION This policy shall be enforced by the Head of Digital through constant reviews and monitoring of the Internet and all Social Media platforms. He/she shall document and share reports of non-compliance with the Human Resources Management and the Editorial Management for action.

AMENDMENT The rules and guidelines set out in this policy may be amended by the company as and when necessary.

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Schedule VII Election coverage guidelines In covering election-related stories, Vision Group journalists shall produce, publish/broadcast content that is objective, fair, balanced and accurate.

1. Journalists shall not alter or conceal what is said by candidates and political parties. They shall be obliged to present stories containing a fair evaluation of relevant information given, leaving the final decision to publish or broadcast to the editors/producers.

2. In their reporting journalists shall balance candidates’ views.

3. Vox pops shall not overly represent one side. Similarly, letters to editors/opinion pieces shall reflect all political shades in order to achieve objectivity.

4. Journalists shall not include their personal opinion in stories on any candidate or political party to the disadvantage of others in the race. To avoid being seen as biased towards one candidate or party they shall stick to the rule that opinion must be separated from news.

5. Journalists shall not only be objective, fair, balanced and accurate in reporting and presentation of content but also seen to be impartial.

6. To estimate crowds at a rally, journalists shall describe using easily understood comparison such as the crowd filling a football pitch, two football pitches, etc. Avoid using adjectives such as mammoth, massive crowd etc. To get a reliable estimate of the attendance at a rally, journalists shall ask police officers, who have expertise in estimating the number of people in a crowd. A proactive journalist is free to work with professionals to estimate the number of people a field can accommodate before a rally is held there.

Caution shall be taken to avoid including any bias in the description. Editor/producers shall be expected to eliminate such favouritism.

7. All journalists covering election campaigns and voting must have Vision Group identity cards which they have to produce when asked by political party officials (during campaigns), electoral officials (during nominations and voting) or in any other related situation.

8. On Election Day, journalists shall interview voters including candidates at a reasonable distance from the polling station to avoid disrupting the voting exercise. During the interview voters shall not be asked for whom they voted.

9. Journalists shall be careful when participating in any talk-shows and debates not to take sides favouring a candidate or political party. They shall remain balanced, fair and objective.

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10. Journalists shall not campaign for any candidate or political party. Therefore, they shall not distribute political parties’ or candidates’ posters, manifestos and any other election related material. They must avoid wearing branded party attire and any partisan insignia while covering election campaigns. They shall also make every effort not to wear anything that may be construed as party colours. In addition, they shall not cheer or show any signs of approval of candidates’ speeches.

11. Journalists are encouraged to declare any conflict of interest which may arise when candidates are relatives, friends, fellow journalists etc or instances of support for a political party. Editors or producers using the best judgment shall determine the extent to which the declared conflict of interest can compromise objectivity, fairness, balance and accuracy before assigning journalists. The editors/producers shall as much as possible guide the journalist on how to manage the conflict of interest.

12. Journalists who intend to join politics shall not use Vision Group platforms for campaign purposes or promotion of their candidature. Such journalists are required to resign their positions 90 days to nomination day.

13. Journalists will refer all requests from candidates and political parties for coverage to editors/producers who shall decide on the journalists to assign.

14. Journalists shall only report results announced by polling officials at gazetted polling stations as provisional and be aware that the Electoral Commission is the only institution mandated to announce the final results.

15. All election-related surveys and opinion polls shall be carried out upon consultation with the Editor-in-Chief who shall also brief top management.

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Schedule VIII Defilement Any person who performs a sexual act with another person who is below the age of 18 commits a felony known as defilement and is, on conviction, liable to life imprisonment.

Any person who attempts to perform a sexual act with another person who is below the age of 18 years commits an offence and is, on conviction, liable to imprisonment not exceeding 18 years.

Any person who performs a sexual act with another person who is below the age of 18 in any of the circumstances specified hereunder commits a felony called aggravated defilement and is, on conviction by the High Court, liable to suffer death if: l The Victim is below 14 years of age, l The Defiler is infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), l The Defiler is a parent or guardian of or a person in authority over the person against whom the offence is committed, l The victim of the offence is a person with a disability or l The Defiler is a serial offender.

Where a person is charged with the offence under this section that person shall undergo a medical examination as to his or her Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) status.

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Schedule IX Intellectual Property Policy INTRODUCTION New Vision Printing & Publishing Company Limited (NVPPCL) owns substantial intellectual property rights (IPRs). IPRs are business assets therefore necessitating proper and efficient management to ensure maximum exploitation and regulation of internal and third party use. Efficient management of IPRs promotes the company’s brands, leading to enhanced corporate identity and increased market value of the company. This policy, therefore, comes into force to achieve these objectives.

The definition of Intellectual Property is derived from the current legal definition including any amendments made from time to time and includes but is not limited to copyrights, trademarks, artistic works, designs, patents, domain names, logos, slogans, tag lines or other creations derived or attached to the brand.

COPYRIGHT A copyright is an expression of an idea the right to which comes into effect immediately the idea is expressed in a fixed form. These may arise from works carried on the various platforms such as Newspapers, Magazines, TVs, Radios and the Website, ICT in the form of stories, articles, photographs, broadcasts, computer programs and recordings.The word ‘works’ relates both to the original work or copies of the work.

Ownership Where a person creates a work in the course of their employment or while commissioned by the company, the copyright shall vest in the company. This applies to employees, freelancers for commissioned assignments and extends to sales executives.

Management shall endeavor to ensure that all contracts for service, for freelancers, sales executives and independent contractors have a provision to the effect that the ownership of any IPR developed during the company’s relationship with the person vests onto the company.

The company shall also own copyright in its broadcast or transmission and no person shall retransmit or carry any of the company’s signals without authorisation.

Use of copyrighted works The Ccompany has the exclusive right to exploit copyrighted works in whatever forms by: a) Publishing, producing and reproducing in whatever form, electronic or otherwise.

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b) Distributing, transferring ownership or otherwise availing to the public the original work or copies by sale or other means c) Performing the work in public d) Broadcasting the work e) Communicating the work f) Commercially renting or selling the work g) Deriving other works or projects from copyrighted works Editors shall put the public on notice of copyrighted material. This may be done by marking the creative projects with copyright symbol © and the date of creation.

Copyright of Third parties The company shall ensure that consent is received from the creator of the work before any third party’s copyrighted work is used on any of the company’s platforms. No person shall use the company’s copyrighted work without its express consent.

Third party’s copyrighted work shall include works belonging to:

a. persons not employed by New Vision;

b. p ersons employed by New Vision where the work was created outside the scope of employment;

c. persons under a contract for service or independent contractors where the work was not commissioned by the company.

Authorization for use of the Company’s Copyrighted Work Authority to use the company’s copyrighted material shall be given by the Editor-in-Chief or her delegated authority, the Manager Resource Centre, Head of Television, Head of Digital or Head of Radio.

Authorisation shall be specific as expressed in Form A at the end of this policy or as may be revised by the Legal Office from time to time.

Infringement of Copyright The company shall take a pro-active approach to preserving and enforcing its copyright and take any action as provided for by law in cases of infringement.

All infringements on the company’s copyright shall upon discovery be brought to the immediate attention of the Legal Office for action.

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TRADEMARKS Trademarks are signs that distinguish goods of one company from another. These include but are not limited to logos, letters, symbols, words or others that fall within the description of the Trademarks Act at the time of creation.

The company shall be the sole owner of its trademarks and shall have them registered with the Intellectual Property Office.

Company trademarks/logos shall bear the mark ® where the mark is registered with the Registrar of Trademarks and ™ or SM where the mark is unregistered.

Registration of Trademarks The Legal Office shall ensure that key trademarks are registered to prevent unauthorised exploitation of a mark.

The decision to register a trademark shall be by consensus of the Head of Marketing, the Legal Office and the manager seeking the registration of the mark.

DESIGN The copyright in any artistic work or design created by a person in the course of doing work; where the work was commissioned by the company or during the course of employment shall vest in the company.

A person shall therefore not copy a design belonging to the company unless with consent of the Company. Similarly, a person shall not copy a third party’s design unless with consent of the owner.

INVENTIONS / CREATIONS Any person shall disclose any inventions discovered during the course of employment or duty. Inventions shall be disclosed to the SBU Head, Head of Marketing or Editor-in-Chief.

WEBSITE Any text, photograph, article, drawing, or work on the Company’s website amounts to copyrighted work and shall belong to the Company. A person shall not download work from the website except with consent of the company.

A person shall also not upload another person’s copyrighted work onto the company’s 56

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website without the owner’s consent. Credit must be given to the owner once the article is published.

DOMAIN NAME This is often part of an email address or web address that details the name of an organisation or company, type of organisation and location. Any of the company’s domain names shall form part of the company’s Intellectual Property.

EXPLOITING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRS) The decision to exploit IPR shall be made by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation on a case-bycase basis with the Head of Marketing, the Manager of the Resource Centre, Head of Radio or TV, and the Legal department.

All conditions of exploitation shall include, but not be limited to, financial gain, acknowledgement /crediting of the company or driving traffic to the website.

All credit and revenue arising from exploitation shall belong to the Company which may agree to terms for acknowledgment of the authors or revenue sharing on such terms as are acceptable.

The amount of financial gain shall be determined in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer and may be in the form of a revenue sharing deal.

LICENSING, TRANSFER AND ASSIGNMENT The company may license or authorize another person to use its IPRs. The terms and conditions for licensing shall take the format of Form A in Schedule 1. No IPRs shall be licensed, transferred or assigned without the consent of the relevant SBU head or Head of Marketing.

The licensing, transfer and authorisation of use of IPR shall be based on such terms as are defined in this policy.

PREVENTION OF INFRINGEMENT A deliberate effort shall be made to prevent the infringement of the Company IPRs either by:

I. Seeking registration of its main trademarks; or

II. Seeking the appropriate remedy where the infringement has occurred 57

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The above functions shall be carried out by the Legal office. Costs for IPRs registration and maintenance of any shall be paid by the relevant SBU. REPORTING ON INFRINGEMENT Every person has a duty to notify the company of infringements on any of its IPRs. All reports of infringement on IPRs shall be forwarded to the Legal Department, Editor-in-Chief or Head of Marketing. Queries on IPRs shall also be directed to the Legal Department.

USE OF A THIRD PARTY’S IPRs A person shall not use a third party’s IPRs work except with prior consent of the party. Credit shall be given to the owner of the work for use. Consent for use of a third party’s copyrighted work shall take the format of Form B. AMENDMENT OF THE RULES AND GUIDELINES OF THE IP POLICY The rules and guidelines set out in the IP Policy may be amended by the company from time to time. The company shall undertake to notify personnel as soon as is practicable of the amendments so made and shall take effect upon announcement.

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Form A THIS FORM IS TO BE FILLED WHENEVER THE COMPANY IS GRANTING A THIRD PARTY CONSENT TO USE ITS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA CONSENT FORM NEW VISION PRINTING AND PUBLISHING COMPANY of Plot 19/21 1st Street Industrial Area, P.O Box 9815 Kampala being the rightful owner of the copyright in the …….(hereinafter referred to as the material) hereby grant ………of P.O Box………. permission to use the material in its ……………… on the following terms and conditions:

• T hat the grant is for single usage of the ………….. in the ……………… for which purpose the pictures are requested.

• T hat the permission granted is for the use of the materials as originally produced.

• T hat this consent shall be binding upon both parties, their legal representatives and assignees.

• That credit will be given to New Vision Printing and Publishing Company.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties in their capacity herein below mentioned, being duly and properly authorized signatories affix their respective signatures as herein below; Signing on behalf of New Vision Printing and Publishing Company Sign:

……………………………...........

In the Presence of:

Name: ………………………………......

Title:

Witness ……………………………......

……………………………….....

Signing on behalf of ……………………………………...................

Sign: Name: ……………………………...........

In the presence of: Witness ……………………………......

Title: ……………………………..............

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Form B THIS FORM IS TO BE FILLED WHENEVER THE COMPANY IS RECEIVING CONSENT TO USE A THIRD PARTY’S COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA CONSENT FORM I ………….………………………………… of ………………………..……………..… being an adult/minor (tick where applicable) and of sound mind hereby grant the photograph(s) (herein after referred to as ‘the material’) to New Vision Printing and Publishing Company Ltd of P.O Box 9815 Kampala (herein after referred to as ‘the company’) and unequivocally and irrevocably;

•C onsent to the unlimited use, reproduction and publishing of the material by the company.

•W arrant that l have exclusive authority to grant the use of rights in the material accepted and that the exercise of these rights by the company will not infringe the rights of any third party.

•W arrant that I will indemnify and hold harmless the Company from and against any third party claims, damages, liabilities and expenses arising from any breach of the foregoing representation.

•A gree not to make any claims, legal or otherwise to any proceeds monetary, or other gains resulting from the use of the material beyond the consideration of …………………………………… hereby offered by the company.

• F urther agree that this consent shall be binding upon parties, their legal representatives and assignees.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties in their capacity herein below mentioned, being duly and properly authorized signatories affix their respective signatures on this …………. day of ……………………… 20…..;

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Signing on behalf of New Vision Printing and Publishing Company Sign:

……………………………...........

In the Presence of:

Name: ………………………………......

Title:

Witness ……………………………......

……………………………….....

Signing on behalf of ……………………………………...................

Sign: Name: ……………………………...........

In the presence of: Witness ……………………………......

Title: ……………………………..............

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P.O.Box 9815, Kampala Uganda Plot 19/21 First Street, Industrial Area General line: 256 414337000 www.newvision.co.ug 64