Human Rights and Peace Building: A Media Toolkit for Journalists

Published by Panos Eastern Africa, with support from the Open Society Initiative for East Africa (OSIEA), this media toolkit is designed to support and build capacity of journalists to disseminate information and promote debate on human rights and peace building issues. The toolkit explains that 98% of Uganda’s population listens to radio as their main source of news. With approximately 200 radio stations licenced at the end of 2008, radio is a powerful tool to communicate, and mobilise community action. However, authors say the radio industry in Uganda still has a long way to go in building a critical mass of professional staff who understand the media landscape. According to the author, it is based on this premise that Panos Eastern Africa developed this media tool kit to support journalists in promoting debate, while upholding the highest professional and ethical standards.

The toolkit includes the following chapters:

• Introduction
• The search for peace in northern Uganda
• Human rights challenges in post conflict northern Uganda
• Human rights
• Role of media in promotion of human rights and peace building
• Community debate
• Ethical standards for journalists