NMG Pledges More Patriotic and Balanced Journalism-CDF Office

Nation Media Group (NMG) management has allegedly pledged to adopt a more patriotic, balanced, and objective approach to journalism, according to the Office of the Chief of Defence Forces. 

The commitment was reportedly made during a meeting between Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba and NMG owners Rostam Aziz, his son Saam Aziz, and Georgia Mutagaywa, the Chief of Staff of Taarifa Limited, NMG’s parent company.

The meeting held on Wednesday at the Special Forces Command headquarters in Entebbe came days after the government accused the media group of running what it described as a sustained blackmail campaign against the government and its leadership. According to a statement from the CDF’s office, the meeting followed the closure of NMG’s Uganda operations, which Gen. Kainerugaba allegedly ordered over accusations that the media group was promoting opposition and foreign interests at the expense of Uganda.

The statement said specific cases of what Gen. Kainerugaba described as biased and malicious reporting were presented to the NMG delegation during the discussions. “The NMG ownership committed to adopting a more patriotic, balanced, and objective approach to their journalism moving forward,” the statement said. The CDF’s office said Gen. Kainerugaba described the engagement as part of ongoing dialogue aimed at resolving the standoff between the media group and government.

Gen. Kainerugaba reportedly said he would present a formal report of the discussions to President Yoweri Museveni, after which a final decision on reopening the NTV Uganda and Daily Monitor premises would be made. Efforts to reopen Nation Media Group’s television and radio outlets, which were closed following a security operation over the weekend, were first announced by veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda.

However, sources indicate that one of the conditions reportedly being considered for reopening includes changes in staffing, including recruitment of new journalists and editors. The closure followed a series of statements by Gen. Kainerugaba declaring that NTV Uganda and Daily Monitor would not open without his approval. 

NMG Uganda operates Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, Spark TV, 93.3 KFM, 90.4 Dembe FM, Ennyanda and other platforms, employing more than 500 people. The latest incident adds to a long history of tensions between NMG Uganda and state authorities, including the 2013 police raid on Daily Monitor and Dembe FM, and the 2007 shutdown of NTV Uganda shortly after its launch.