Journalist speaks out after career setback

26 May 2025, 5:47 pm

By Byamukama Alozious

A young female videographer and field journalist based in northern Uganda has broken her silence on how she is being gradually edged out of her profession, shedding light on the deeper gender inequalities that continue to haunt Uganda’s media industry.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the journalist says she joined the media house less than a year ago, full of passion for video journalism. “I’d go to the field, shoot, return late in the evening, and still take over at reception all for the love of journalism,” she recalls. But without warning or explanation, her field assignments were stopped. “I was suddenly reassigned to the finance department,” she says. “I have no background in finance or accounting. I studied media and trained in videography. But now I sit at the reception desk under the finance section far from the camera and field where I belong”

Her repeated concerns to management went unanswered. “I feel ignored. It’s like they’re slowly pushing me out without telling me.”

The situation became more apparent when her colleagues requested that she be reinstated in the field. “That day, the station manager’s mood shifted immediately. I could sense resistance, and I knew something was wrong.”

She adds that men are often hired externally for field jobs while she, a trained and available staffer, is overlooked. “Why hire men from outside when I’m right here and capable?” she asks. “I just want a place where women are heard and respected.”

Her story was among the many shared during a participatory gender-sensitive training organised by the Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA) in northern Uganda. The training was backed by the Embassy of Sweden, Royal Danish Embassy, Irish Aid, and the Netherlands Embassy.

The exercise brought together journalists, editors, and media managers, and highlighted the urgent need for every media house to formulate a gender policy. Participants called for a thorough review of existing organisational structures that remain skewed against women particularly in recruitment, promotion, performance appraisals, training, and mentorship.

During field assessments and plenary sessions, UMWA found that newsrooms and editorial departments are still heavily dominated by men. The exercise called for practical measures to equitably populate newsrooms with both men and women and recommended deliberate steps to bridge existing gender gaps in staffing and decision-making such as formulating policies that advocate for equal space

While the journalist says she hasn’t experienced sexual harassment herself, she added: “No one has approached me in that way, and I’m strong enough to resist. But I know others who haven’t been so lucky.”

With no sign of change at her current station, she’s now thinking of moving on. “I need a place where I’m given listening ears, where ladies are considered not ignored.”

Her story is a reflection of many untold struggles faced by female journalists in Uganda overworked, underpaid, denied growth, and ultimately forced out of the professions they trained for. It underscores the pressing need for media houses to walk the talk on gender equity.