The year was 1997.  The skies were just turning red in the horizon as the sun rose across the River Thames from the Palace of Westminster in London.  The young Tony Blair, MP for Sedgefield constituency had just pulled off a landslide election victory for Britain’s Labour Party and was about to march into Number 10 Downing Street as Britain’s new Prime Minister.  To capture the symbolism of the moment politically, he declared to the world, with an infectious smile, that “a new dawn has broken”!  We at Uganda Correspondent are experiencing something very similar.  It is a wonderful day!  It is a wonderful day because today, after months of hard work, a brand new and totally independent people’s platform for liberal debate has been born; and you are reading from it now! 

Uganda Correspondent is the ordinary man’s platform; your platform to reasonably and decently express even those controversial views you hold that some of the long established media houses simply cannot dare publish.  Not because the Editors and Journalists working in those media houses are impartial; of course not! But rather, it’s because in many cases, their objective hands and minds have been tied down by the invisible but lethal power of vested interests through the ages.  Uganda Correspondent Editors and Journalists have none of those interests to worry about.  They are, in other words, only guided by the basic tenets of responsible Journalism. 

As a new member of the so-called “Fourth Estate”, Uganda Correspondent has a socio-political duty to critically hold the government [present and future] to account to the electorate from which it derives its legitimacy.  This duty extends to all public officials.  It is a duty that we take very seriously.  And we shall never shy away from it; because it’s the very least we can do to contribute to the democratization process of our beloved motherland.  In pursuance thereof, we shall, without fear or favour, strive to be fiercely critical of anything done or omitted by any stakeholder; especially if its effect or effects which would be to undermine the burning desire of Ugandans to transform their country into a free and democratic society.  The Uganda Correspondent, in its pursuit of fairness, shall equally give due credit to any stakeholder who does things that further the interests of democracy and good governance in Uganda. 

We will always strive to be truthful, accurate, fair, balanced, and objective as we go about the serious business of informing you; because “It’s your right to know”.  The only exception to that rule would be in cases where there is a clear public interest consideration that compels us to do otherwise; or when we are forced to consider important legal implications and or matters of confidentiality.

Only Journalism’s basic tenets shall guide us as we pursue our goal to give you our dear readers the greatest possible news stories, analysis, features, entertainment, interviews, special reports, and above all, as we provide a platform for you to freely engage in informed and liberal debate about contemporary and all controversial issues of concern to Ugandans and the world.  Your involvement in generating Uganda Correspondent’s content is particularly important to us.  After all, it’s your own platform! 

So from today, if you have anything you desperately want to get off your chest like an Opinion Article {of 800 words maximum}, or even a simple Letter to the Editor {of 400 words maximum}, simply send it to us at opinions@ugandacorrespondent.com and we shall consider it favourably for publication.  Or, if you simply want to alert us about an upcoming event that you think is newsworthy, or you have a press release or media advisory that you want us to know about, simply email it to us at news@ugandacorrespondent.com and leave the rest to us. 

Finally, if you want to advertise with us and potentially reach an audience of thousands upon thousands, we urge you to simply email us at sales@ugandacorrespondent.com so that we open the dialogue; yes, dialogue; because that is how we work.  Our advertising rates are simply unbeatable; especially for charitable organisations.  But above all, we promise unrivalled flexibility with every advertiser’s needs and budget.  So try us out today!

On behalf of everyone at Uganda Correspondent, I appeal for your regular custom.  Please visit us and invite your friends, relatives and acquaintances to join us every Monday at www.ugandacorrespondent.com as we embark on this very exciting journey.  And don’t forget that we have very regular midweek updates; so don’t miss out!  THANK YOU

Editor-in-Chief

editor@ugandacorrespondent.com