New Vision
Encyclopedia
New Vision is one of two main national newspapers in Uganda.
. It was founded in 1955 as the Uganda Argus, a British colonial government publication. Between 1962 and 1971, the first Obote government
kept the name of its daily publication as Uganda Argus. Following the rise to power of Idi Amin
in 1971, the government paper was re-named Voice of Uganda. When Amin was deposed in 1979, the second Obote government
named its paper Uganda Times. When the National Resistance Movement
seized power in 1986, the name of the government daily newspaper was changed to New Vision. The Uganda Argus and its successors always presented as the "official" newspaper of the regime in power.
(USE). The table below summarizes the ownership structure of the New Vision Group.
{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | New Vision Group Stock Ownership
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Rank !!Name of Owner!!Percentage Ownership
|-
|1||Government of Uganda||53
|-
|2||Institutional & Individual Investors||47
|-
| ||Total||100
|-
|}
, resigned. Pike had a long history with the paper, starting there as a sports journalist 19 years before. Pike was largely credited with maintaining a degree of editorial independence
for the newspaper, though not as much as the fully independent The Monitor
, the second national newspaper of Uganda
. It was reported at the time that "Press freedom in Uganda might be in jeopardy" and that Pike was being "forced to resign apparently at the behest of President Yoweri Museveni
". Pike's departure was followed by the appointment of Ugandan government spokesman Robert Kabushenga as Chief Executive Officer. Kabushenga resigned two weeks later(Kabushenga has never quite resigned-he is still the CEO to-date).
In late November 2006, Belgian journalist and activist Els de Temmerman
accepted an appointment as Editor-in-Chief after receiving written guarantees of her editorial independence. She resigned her post on the 24th of October 2008, stating "I have concluded that I can no longer count on the assurances I received when I accepted the job and so I must resign".
Els de Temmerman returned and is still editor in chief (Els eventually resigned mid 2010 and her deputy, Barbara Kaija, was formally appointed as the Editor-in-Chief)
History
It was established in its current form in 1986 by the Ugandan Government. New Vision is broadly sympathetic to the government of President Yoweri MuseveniYoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is a Ugandan politician and statesman. He has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986.Museveni was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin Dada, ending his rule in 1979, and in the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of the Milton Obote regime in 1985...
. It was founded in 1955 as the Uganda Argus, a British colonial government publication. Between 1962 and 1971, the first Obote government
Milton Obote
Apolo Milton Obote , Prime Minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and President of Uganda from 1966 to 1971, then again from 1980 to 1985. He was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda towards independence from the British colonial administration in 1962.He was overthrown by Idi Amin in 1971, but...
kept the name of its daily publication as Uganda Argus. Following the rise to power of Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
in 1971, the government paper was re-named Voice of Uganda. When Amin was deposed in 1979, the second Obote government
Milton Obote
Apolo Milton Obote , Prime Minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and President of Uganda from 1966 to 1971, then again from 1980 to 1985. He was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda towards independence from the British colonial administration in 1962.He was overthrown by Idi Amin in 1971, but...
named its paper Uganda Times. When the National Resistance Movement
National Resistance Movement
The National Resistance Movement , commonly referred to as the Movement, is a political organization in Uganda.Until a referendum in 2005, Uganda held elections on a non-party basis. The NRM dominates parliament, however, and is expected to continue to do so. The presidential elections of 12 March...
seized power in 1986, the name of the government daily newspaper was changed to New Vision. The Uganda Argus and its successors always presented as the "official" newspaper of the regime in power.
New Vision Group
The holding company that owns the New Vision newspaper is The New Vision Printing & Publishing Company Limited, also referred to as the New Vision Group. The Group owns other newspapers, radio stations and two television stations, as of October 2009. The businesses owned by the New Vision Group include:- New Vision newspaper - Published in EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
- Bukedde newspaper - Published in Luganda
- Orumuri newspaper - Published in Runyankole/Rukiga
- Etop newspaper - Published in Ateso
- Rupiny newspaper - Published in LuoLuo (family of ethnic groups)The Luo are an ethnic linguistic group located in an area that stretches from South Sudan and Ethiopia through northern Uganda and eastern Congo , into western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania. These people speak an Eastern Sudanic language, a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language...
- Premiership magazine - Soccer magazine covering English, African and Ugandan soccer news - Published monthly in English.
- City Beat magazine - Entertainment magazine aimed at the affluent 19 to 35 demographic age group - Published monthly in English
- Bride & Groom magazine - Bridal magazine - Published quarterly in English
- Secondary Schools Directory - Published annually in English
- Vision Printing Limited - Most newspapers in Uganda, Rwanda and Southern Sudan are printed by Vision Printing.
- Vision Voice FM 94.8 - Based in KampalaKampalaKampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
. Broadcasts in English, covers a radius of 100 kilometres (62.1 mi). - Radio Bekedde FM 100.5 - Based in Kampala. Broadcasts in Luganda
- Radio West FM 100.2 - Based in MbararaMbararaMbarara is a town in Western Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Mbarara District and the location of the district headquarters. It is also the largest urban centre in Western Uganda.-Location:...
. The dominant radio station in western Uganda. Broadcasts in Runyankole/Rukiga, Runyoro/Rutoro and English. - Radio Rupiny FM 95.7 - Based in GuluGuluGulu is a city in Northern Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The city is located at 2˚46'48N 32˚18'00E, on the metre gauge railway from Tororo to Pakwach. Gulu is located approximately , by road, north of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city...
. Broadcasts in LuoLuo (family of ethnic groups)The Luo are an ethnic linguistic group located in an area that stretches from South Sudan and Ethiopia through northern Uganda and eastern Congo , into western Kenya, and ending in the upper tip of Tanzania. These people speak an Eastern Sudanic language, a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language... - Radio Etop FM 99.4 - Based in SorotiSorotiSoroti is the main municipal, commercial and administrative centre of Soroti District in Eastern Uganda, lying near Lake Kyoga. It is known for the rock formation near the town as well as a variety of Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras as well as several churches that meet in various...
. Broadcasts in Ateso - TV West - Launched in May 2010. Transmits in the fours R's (Runyankore, Rukiga, Runyoro, Rutoro)
- Bukedde Television (BTV) - Launched in October 2009. Transmits in Luganda
Ownership
The New Vision Group is owned by the Ugandan government (53%) and by institutional and individual investors (47%). The shares of the Group are traded on the Uganda Securities ExchangeUganda Securities Exchange
The Uganda Securities Exchange is the principal stock exchange of Uganda. It was founded in June 1997. The USE is operated under the jurisdiction of Uganda's Capital Markets Authority, which in turn reports to the Bank of Uganda, Uganda's central bank.The exchange's doors opened to trading in...
(USE). The table below summarizes the ownership structure of the New Vision Group.
{| style="font-size:100%;"
|-
| width="100%" align="center" | New Vision Group Stock Ownership
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"
! style="width:2em;" |Rank !!Name of Owner!!Percentage Ownership
|-
|1||Government of Uganda||53
|-
|2||Institutional & Individual Investors||47
|-
| ||Total||100
|-
|}
Editorial Controversies
On 12 October 2006, William Pike, CEO of the newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, resigned. Pike had a long history with the paper, starting there as a sports journalist 19 years before. Pike was largely credited with maintaining a degree of editorial independence
Editorial independence
Editorial independence is the freedom of editors to make decisions without interference from the owners of a publication. Editorial independence is tested, for instance, if a newspaper runs articles that may be unpopular with its advertising clientele....
for the newspaper, though not as much as the fully independent The Monitor
The Monitor (Uganda)
The Daily Monitor is Uganda’s leading independent daily newspaper. The "Monitor" name is shared by the Saturday Monitor and Sunday Monitor, which are also published by Monitor Publications Limited. It has an online readership of over 1,000,000.The newspaper was established in 1992 as The Monitor...
, the second national newspaper of Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. It was reported at the time that "Press freedom in Uganda might be in jeopardy" and that Pike was being "forced to resign apparently at the behest of President Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is a Ugandan politician and statesman. He has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986.Museveni was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin Dada, ending his rule in 1979, and in the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of the Milton Obote regime in 1985...
". Pike's departure was followed by the appointment of Ugandan government spokesman Robert Kabushenga as Chief Executive Officer. Kabushenga resigned two weeks later(Kabushenga has never quite resigned-he is still the CEO to-date).
In late November 2006, Belgian journalist and activist Els de Temmerman
Els de Temmerman
Els de Temmerman is a former Belgian journalist who established Childsoldiers, an organization that works for the rehabilitation of child soldiers in Africa....
accepted an appointment as Editor-in-Chief after receiving written guarantees of her editorial independence. She resigned her post on the 24th of October 2008, stating "I have concluded that I can no longer count on the assurances I received when I accepted the job and so I must resign".
Els de Temmerman returned and is still editor in chief (Els eventually resigned mid 2010 and her deputy, Barbara Kaija, was formally appointed as the Editor-in-Chief)