Experts call for collaboration among media houses on investigative journalism

Media experts have called on different media houses to come together and collaborate on investigative journalism projects for the good of society.

The remarks were during the discussion on the state of investigative journalism in Uganda,organised by African Institute for Investigative Journalism (AIJJ).

The discussion was aired live on NBS television.

They said rivalry among media houses makes it difficult to collaborate and come up with good stories that can change society given the fact that there is limited funding.

The chief executive officer of the Independent Magazine, Andrew Mwenda said if the aim of media houses is to make profit, they may not invest in investigative journalism because it is very expensive.

Mwenda said the evolution of social media and the democratisation of information has created a big problem in the industry.

"The traditional media have got to create information that is short and sharp because people have a short attention span. We need to rethink how to do investigative journalism that is quick, sharp, and short,"said Mwenda.

Dr. Peter Mwesige of African Centre for Media Excellency (ACME), said the orientation of media owners and managers determines the standard of investigative reporting.

"Very many owners of media houses don’t care about the public interest in journalism. The place and role of the media in society are very important. If you asked me if media owners in Uganda care, I will confidently say they don't,"he said.

He said investigative reporting is the least frequent reporting format in print media today.

Experts said for organisations to create good content, journalists need to have courage, passion, curiosity, initiative, logical thinking, skepticism, organisation, discipline, flexibility, teamwork and good reporting and writing skills.