Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
Twenty years after the Windhoek Declaration on press freedom
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How we started The Observer<br />
By James Tumusiime<br />
James Tumusiime is Managing<br />
Editor/Director and founder of The<br />
Observer<br />
I was at Rhodes University in South<br />
Africa in December 2003 when I<br />
received email from colleagues at<br />
my workplace, a daily newspaper in<br />
Kampala, that our editor had been<br />
fired.<br />
He was a sharp-t<strong>on</strong>gued but witty,<br />
courageous and charismatic man<br />
whose elevati<strong>on</strong> had been welcomed<br />
by those who knew his<br />
qualities. However, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> new owners<br />
of this newspaper, who had <strong>on</strong>ly recently<br />
acquired majority shareholding<br />
from him and five o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r partners,<br />
didn’t get al<strong>on</strong>g with him and<br />
so he was given two days to get out.<br />
I had been c<strong>on</strong>sidering leaving my<br />
job <str<strong>on</strong>g>after</str<strong>on</strong>g> completing my Master’s<br />
degree, without really being sure<br />
what I wanted to do next, but<br />
this immediately gave me ideas. I<br />
thought about <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> possibility of a<br />
newspaper venture with my former<br />
editor. Returning to Kampala later<br />
that m<strong>on</strong>th, I swiftly met with<br />
him and he c<strong>on</strong>firmed that o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r<br />
colleagues had c<strong>on</strong>tacted him about<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> same idea.<br />
A few meetings later, The Weekly<br />
Observer was born, started by a<br />
group of 10 journalists in pursuit of<br />
Secti<strong>on</strong> 2: Pluralism<br />
a greater challenge professi<strong>on</strong>ally<br />
and business success. There was a<br />
general feeling that with our skills<br />
and experience we could champi<strong>on</strong><br />
good quality journalism, and make<br />
some m<strong>on</strong>ey in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> process. We<br />
would stand for QUALITY and CRED-<br />
IBILITY in journalism, as we sought<br />
to promote good governance and<br />
accountability at all levels of public<br />
and private life.<br />
We had no m<strong>on</strong>ey, save for a little<br />
cash to rent our office premises for<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> initial three m<strong>on</strong>ths, and also to<br />
purchase a printer. One of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> wellestablished<br />
newspapers in Uganda<br />
had agreed to a credit facility to print<br />
a few initial editi<strong>on</strong>s of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> paper. In<br />
additi<strong>on</strong>, individual partners were to<br />
c<strong>on</strong>tribute whatever <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y could, and<br />
that is how chairs, computers and<br />
desks were obtained. For <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> first<br />
couple of m<strong>on</strong>ths we sat <strong>on</strong> plastic<br />
chairs.<br />
“We would stand<br />
for QUALITY and<br />
CREDIBILITY in<br />
journalism, as we<br />
sought to promote<br />
good governance and<br />
accountability at all<br />
levels of public and<br />
private life.”<br />
It now looks like we thought at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
time that a newspaper was just<br />
about news. As journalists, all we<br />
knew was to cover and report news<br />
stories. But a newspaper is more<br />
than just that. You must sell <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
news that you report. You must sell<br />
advertising space too.<br />
Media in Africa - 2011 | 99