Homophobia as a Barrier to Comprehensive Media Coverage of the Ugandan Anti-Homosexual Bill

Abstract

The Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of October 2009 caused an international outcry and sparked intense debate in the local media. This article explores to what degree a discriminatory social environment manifests itself in the Ugandan print media and discusses the potential implications for media's coverage of contentious policy options such as the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. A content analysis of 115 items from two daily newspapers (the government-owned New Vision and the privately owned the Daily Monitor, between October and December 2009) indicates the existence of two separate house styles; this is in spite of the fact that both newspapers reproduce the surrounding society's homophobia, albeit with different frequency. Unlike the New Vision, the Daily Monitor includes coverage on homophobia and discrimination, as well as provides space for criticism of the Bill. By acknowledging discrimination and its negative impact, the newspaper de-legitimizes homophobia and problematizes the proposed Anti-homosexuality Bill for their readers.

Newspaper Presentations of Homosexuality across Nations: Examining Differences by Religion, Economic Development, and Democracy

“…For instance, in 2015 the Turkish Daily News was only available through February 2009, making it necessary to use 2008 for our study. Attitudes in some countries are changing quickly and Uganda and the United State have experienced major legislative changes since the data were collected (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association [ILGA] 2008[ILGA] , 2016Strand 2012). However, other nations are likely to undergo somewhat similar changes in attitudes and laws.…”

When love wins: Framing analysis of the Indian media’s coverage of Section 377, decriminalization of same-sex relationships

“…A majority of framing studies reference U.S. media; fewer studies have analyzed non-U.S. media coverage of gay rights issues (see for example Conrad & Markens, 2001; Schallhorn & Hempel, 2017; Strand, 2012). Such studies have found differences in patterns of coverage between U.S.-based media organizations and others.…”

“Fake News” on Sexual Minorities is “Old News”: A Study of Digital Platforms as Spaces for Challenging Inaccurate Reporting on Ugandan Sexual Minorities

“…The role of the Ugandan media in perpetuating mediated discrimination Decades of state-sponsored homophobia and almost universally negative attitudes towards sexual minorities have impacted most social spheres in Uganda, and the media sector is no exception. The Ugandan media's coverage of sexual minorities and their human rights situation ranges from ambivalent and reluctant to antagonistic, and in the tabloid press outright hostile (Bompani and Brown 2015;Dicklitch, Yost, and Dougan 2012;Strand 2012Strand , 2013Strand , 2018. Sexual minorities and their community representatives are rarely given space to raise awareness of the community's plight, promote human rights for all, self-define, or give a first-person narrative of their concerns (Strand 2011).…”

“…As a consequence of this systematic exclusion from mediated spaces, sexual minorities are often defined by other claims-makers, such as religious and political elites, which in turn results in representations consistently failing to present a balanced and fair coverage of the community or reflect its concerns (Adamczyk 2017). In the past, this lack of inclusion and the corresponding lack of influence over mediated representations of the community have led to frequent instances of rampant negative and stereotypical portrayals and negative othering of sexual minorities (Adamczyk 2017;Strand 2012). News coverage often contains fictitious and/or unverified statements such as homosexuality being a Western imported vice, part of an imperialist project, un-African, incompatible with Christianity, and ultimately a threat to Ugandan culture and the state.…”