Journalists dine away the year in style

Ugandan journalists

on Thursday organised their first ever media dinner hosted at Piato restaurant in

Kampala.

The event

that attracted media practitioners from various parts of the saw them wine and

dine off their daily stress.

Speaking to

media practitioners, seasoned journalist Daniel Kalinaki urged them to practice

finance literacy so as to take off the tag that journalists are supposed to be

poor.

“Journalists

have a bad reputation in town and it is important this notion is changed by

yourselves because this is a dignified profession,”Kalinaki implored.

“Don’t

believe the hype that journalist are supposed to be poor. Work together as a

team and invest wisely.”

The Nation Media Group General Manager in Uganda in charge of

Editorial however warned journalists against thinking about quick riches which

he said would be a temptation to them.

“I have been a journalist for 21 years

but there are bars I can’t go to because I am still hustling. Why do you leave

university and in two years you want to drive a car like mine,” he wondered.

Kalinaki asked journalists to always to

things collectively including investment and that way they would reap out of

their small earnings.

“You rather have one percent in a big

investment than having 90 percent in a small investment.”

Celebrated TV journalist, Faridah

Nakazibwe urged journalists to always be a mirror to the society through their behaviors.

She urged them to always seize chances as

they come.

Uganda Journalists Association president,

Bashir Kazibwe Mbaziira said it is high time journalists came together to fight

a common enemy.

“Our presence here is a manifestation

that we can come together to stand tall for the betterment of the fraternity and

society at large. This is the time to reflect on the future of the media fraternity,”Kazibwe

said.

Photojournalist Abubaker Lubowa said the

time has come for journalists to put their past behind and start working for a

better working environment.

“This is a better step we have taken and

it is time we felt proud as journalists. We should now face our challenges and

see how to deal with them,”Lubowa said.

“We should desist from fighting each

other because whenever this happens, the enemy wins and rejoices.”

He said there is no reason for

journalists to be disunited yet their goal is serving the society diligently.

Journalists used the occasion to declare every December 20 as the day for the annual media dinner.