ARUA CITY MOVES TO STREAMLINE RELATIONSHIP WITH MEDIA

Kyansanku David, Arua City Clerk responding to some queries during the media engagement with city leaders.

By Godwin Abedican

Arua

Arua city leadership is concerned over what seems to be a poor working relationship between the media or journalists and some leaders in the city and its effects on service delivery.
 
In order to address the differences, the city has embarked on holding regular meetings with the media to address these differences.
  
While delivering her opening remarks during the first meeting recently, Consulate Olemaru, the outgoing senior communications officer for the city notes complaints from some city staff against the media.
 
“In my own view as a media professional, I feel we have a good relationship but from the views of the other leaders the political leaders and technical leaders, there seems to be a problem in the way we relate in our West Nile region, we always have this adage that we like to pull each other down. Many times, the media we have contributes to ensuring that there are officers or institutions whose names are tarnished, there is nothing written positive out of whatever is being done. So, we want to encourage positive reporting, how can the media contribute positively especially communication for development and how they can highlight our challenges,” she remarked.    
  
According to Janet Moriku, a journalist with Radio Pacis, it’s important to understanding how the media helps to shape what those in authority need to do than feeling being attacked.
 
“Media is the voice of the voiceless, let the authorities understand that the media helps to remind them about their jobs but if we get responses like I don’t account to the media, responses like you have started disturbing, I feel like that is where problems start from. I will be satisfied with responses like I do not have that information for now, we are still investigating. I mean, give me that calm as a journalist. Let’s be very calculative of the responses we give to the media. It is what escalates everything at the end of the day and it starts looking like media is attacking us,” Moriku said. 
 
Consulate Olemaru the outgoing senior communications officer Arua city
speaking during the joint engagement.

According to Aluma Clement Aribo, the president West Nile Press Association (WENPA) an association that brings together journalists in the region, what a Person concludes about the media or journalists depend on their attitudes towards the media.
 
“The journalists we have here are all responsible people, they do responsible reporting. Sometimes it is the perception leaders have, very negative perceptions towards these journalists and we know them, we know what they say and these things come to us. Let us learn to be positive always,” Aluma appealed.
 
However, Kyansanku David, the city clerk Arua says as service delivery in the city depends on the community that uses the media as a link, a lot needs to be learnt in the process for a better and well-developed city.
 
“As the media and stakeholders in the city, our role is to contribute to make the city shine. Why we are sometimes shying away is when our colleagues, the media becomes used to fight wars, hired to malign the city, we don’t want to be part of that. Media can disorganize the government, media can disorganize the city, and media can disorganize a Sub-county. What I take as a job is the fact that some of our people do not know how to talk and surely people have to be taught how to talk,” he admitted.
 
These differences if addressed is expected to improve the cordial relationship between the media and city officials and enhance serviced delivery and create a better and easy way to access information by the journalists