Defending Journalism in Court - A case study on how journalists in Uganda are mobilising for media freedom

Abstract

There is a global decline in media freedom. Journalists are increasingly being harassed, assaulted and imprisoned. While there is a lot of research on this depressing trend, there is little research on how social actors can act to defend media freedom. This thesis aims at explaining when and why collective actions in defence of media freedom are successful. It is a case study of how journalists and media organisations in Uganda are mobilising in defence of media freedom. Uganda is chosen as a case because it is a country in which media freedom has deteriorated quickly, but at the same time, there are still several strong independent media outlets and an intense public debate about media freedom. The results show that the media freedom movement in Uganda to some extent has been able to use legal action to defend themselves against state repression and in a few cases even advancing the institutional framework for media freedom. The thesis further identifies the factors that facilitate a positive outcome in these rare cases of successful legal action. Those are 1) the ability to mobilise and activate support beyond the most obvious organisations, 2) that the journalist or media outlet has public credibility, and 3) that there is sustained public advocacy accompanying the legal case. In a semi-authoritarian context where activists risks state repression and the independence of the judiciary is questioned, it requires, however, an extensive support structure for legal mobilisation to ensure a due process of law and court room victories.