Thumbs up to Vision Group and NTV Uganda, the only two media houses that have come out to own up Covid-19 cases among their staff and announced necessary steps to contain the spread of the virus.
However, a number of media houses have chosen to shut up and silently isolate staff who have tested positive or had contacts with people who have tested positive.
Vision Group and NTV last month announced a number of their staff had tested positive and said they were taking steps to identify everyone who could have had contact with them for observation.
Watchdog Uganda can exclusively reveal that more than 20 NBS TV staff are in isolation but Next Media is yet to communicate to their stakeholders this bad news, so that steps are taken to monitor those they have come in close contact with. Monitor Publications too, has a confirmed case of a journalist who tested positive.
Sources this website has spoken to say Morning Breeze show host Kaggwa Njala and News Anchor and presenter Mildred Tuhaise, are some of the people in isolation. The duo has been interacting with guests, especially politicians as well as fellow journalists.
It is important that Next Services and other media fight Covid-19 by example, by being transparent with a number of staff who test positive and their associates, as well as take steps to protect the unaffected ones. That would further help the information sharing about the pandemic by giving Covid-19 a face. Journalists interface with a number of people and therefore become high risk suspects for infection or spreading the virus.
The media at this point in time, should devise means to interview their sources and broadcast without necessarily meeting physically.
Currently, 32 people have died of Covid-19 in Uganda and 3,037 have tested positive.
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