TASHA Research Institute Africa has launched a drive to cause the attention of journalists towards frequent reporting news about the oil sector for sustainable exploitation of the oil resource in Uganda.
The main target of the drive are journalists based in the oil projects-host districts of Buliisa, Hoima, Kikuube, Kakumiro and Masaka which are affected by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil projects among others.
Speaking at the project launch held at Kagadi Kibaale Community Radio (KKCR) in Kagadi town, Mr Maxwell Atuhuura, the Executive Director TASHA Research Institute Africa, said that they will use podcasts and online channels to share information on environmental and human rights issues in the communities.
He said that it has been noted that little information is flowing in both the mainstream and digital media about the oil and gas sector induced issues though a lot is happening.
Mr Michael Mucunguzi, the Programme Officer for the Communication Project, said that the one-year project is being implemented with support from the European Coalition for Corporate Justice.
He said that they will work closely with selected journalists from different electronic and digital communication channels.
Mr Pascal Onega, the Biiso FM News Reporter in Buliisa district –the host of Tilenga Project, attributed the limited reporting on oil and gas to limited knowledge about the subject matter vis-à-vis climate change among many journalists.
On his part, Mr Innocent Atuganyira, a journalist working with Ugreports – an online news portal, said that the lack of financial resources to access communities affected by oil industry related projects affects their frequent reporting about the subject.
He also said that the projects are in remote areas yet media houses are stationed in urban areas.
The fear of being branded as anti-oil projects following the conflict around the ‘StopEacop’ and ‘Support EACOP’ campaigns was highlighted as an issue that could be affecting the flow of environmental and human rights issues in the media.
Mr Samuel Galiraya, a radio presenter at KKCR, observed that much awareness is needed amongst journalists to make a clear sense of the connection between oil and gas, climate change and human rights issues.
