Renowned media consultant Joel isabirye has come out to defend Top TV’s Joan Lule Nakintu who got crucified by the public, following her recent interview with Miss Uganda Oliver Nakakande.
During her Cocktail show on April 20, Lule asked Nakakande to tell the world how it feels to be a Miss World loser something that latter regarded as offensive.
This later escalated into a heated argument live on television after the beauty queen requested Lule to apologize for calling her a loser, something the Mpigi Member of Parliament hopeful declined to do.
The statement (loser) and argument didn’t not only land Lule into problems with ‘online police’ and her bosses, but Uganda Communication commission (UCC) also jumped onto the case, claiming that she bleached the minimum broadcasting standards, and currently Top TV is under investigation.
However, Isabirye feels that UCC is on Lule’s neck for nothing and that she is just a victim of cyber bullying.
Through a lengthy social media post, he wondered how telling someone that he/she is a loser became a crime when its true!
“Since when did saying ‘YOU LOST’ when you actually did not win become a violation of minimum broadcasting standards as those who lodged a complaint to UCC claim. What if Joan has said that Miss Uganda was not beautiful, would social media have run to the ITU?” he said.
He however blamed Miss Uganda’s handlers for not preparing Nakakande enough for public life, because every celebrity should always be ready for all kinds of insults, criticisms among other things.
Here is Isabirye’s verbatim:
At the risk of being vilified by a highly charged social media group, I will stand up and say Joan Nakintu Lule did nothing wrong in her interview with miss Uganda.
In fact, on the contrary, Joan has faced unprecedented cyber bullying.
I watched the clip of the interaction between Joan and miss Uganda. My view from a professional stand point was that Joan asked the hard question.
Miss Uganda should have been prepped by her handlers that public life will be just like that.
Miss Uganda should have played it down and said winning is not about the crown, but the opportunities that are derived from it. I think she said a little about that enumerating the other benefits of getting involved and reaching some stage. Then Joan said just that after that that is what she was trying to bring out of her…to look at her participation as a glass half filled than a half filled bottle.
Then the management of Top radio, which has also been cyber bullied, had to force an apology out of the presenter in order to please a highly charged social media.
What is wrong with putting it straight that someone lost and you would like to know how they made sense of it?
We should ask the likes of engineer Moses Magogo, who had to suffer significantly hard criticism from sports panellists as Uganda cranes struggled to find its feet.
You need to read how those sports commentators write or listen to how they speak to see the meaning of bashing. did the Magogos run to social media or the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) crying? No because they knew that this is the nature of public life.
How about those who had to bear aggressive criticism from Andrew Mwenda on Andrew Mwenda live, did they run to social media after their interviews or UCC?
Or president Museveni who was roasted by Ibrahim Semujju Nganda, twice on Capital Gang…. did he call UCC to take action on the presenter?
Joan Nakintu Lule should instead be given a pay rise…especially for creating such an opportunity for the show to trend.
Since when did saying “YOU LOST” when you actually did not win, become a violation of minimum broadcasting standards as those who lodged a complaint to UCC claim?
What if Joan had said that miss Uganda was not beautiful…would social media have run to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)?
For those who sent complaints to UCC? UCC should not be bullied.
The moment you step into public life, get ready for bashing and difficult questions at interviews. Choose which to respond to and which to ignore. however, the response must be carefully thought out.
Unless falsehood is spread about you, or conduct that is racist, sexist, against your religious beliefs, against your physical disability etc.…then that becomes an issue….”.
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