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By Benard Kakuru

PREPARED BY

BACK TO UNICEF UGANDA DASHBOARD

OVERVIEW

This report presents findings from the analysis of the coverage of children-related issues in Uganda for the period 15th – 28th January 2024 by various online media platforms. The main method used for analysis was content analysis.     

Overall, the analyzed data results show that 457 articles were published online on children and children-related issues in Uganda, indicating an increase of 145 articles from those published during the first two weeks of January 2024. 

Two hundred twenty (220) articles focused on keeping children Learning[1], 119 on keeping children alive[2], and 118 were on keeping children Safe[3].

The extensive coverage and journalistic reporting by various media outlets on the release of PLE results sheds light on why articles relating to the topic of Keeping Children Learning were the most published.

On January 25, 2024, the Ministry of Education and Sports released the results of the 2023 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). The results highlighted a total of 749,525 candidates who registered for PLE, showing a decrease from the 823,654 candidates registered the previous year.

Statistics provided by UNEB showed a concerning trend where more girls completed the primary education cycle, while boys faced an increasing dropout rate. Despite this, male candidates continued to outperform their female counterparts. The data indicated that the number of girls failing the 2023 PLE exceeded that of boys by 11,580.

Additionally, the statistics revealed that a higher percentage of candidates registered in 2023 passed with Division 3 and above. There was a notable presence of ungraded candidates (Grade U), totaling 88,209 (10.4%). And over 122,000 pupils missed PLE.

BI-WEEKLY ANALYSIS OF EDITORIAL AND JOURNALISTIC REPORTING TRENDS BY ONLINE PUBLICATIONS ON CHILDREN IN UGANDA (JANUARY 15th – 28th 2024)
  1. INTRODUCTION

Ultimate Multimedia Consult (UMC) is required to present to UNICEF Uganda every two weeks an analysis of editorial and journalistic reporting trends on children and children-related issues in Uganda as published on online platforms. This report presents findings on how online publications covered children-related issues for the last two weeks of January 2024.

The report also shows how UNICEF Uganda messages, including press releases, reports, and expertise, are reported on by online publications. In addition, the report gives insights into the accuracy and appropriateness of the information provided on children’s issues. 

The analysed content was drawn from news websites based in Uganda like: NTV Uganda, Bukedde and Capital FM; other websites like: Daily Monitor, New Vision, Uganda Radio Network, NTV Uganda, Daily Express, Mazima News, PML Daily, Nile Post, The Independent, and Various YouTube Channels like BBS Terefayina, NTV Uganda, UBC TV, Spark TV, Bukedde TV, NBS TV, Urban TV among others, as well as websites based in other countries. The analysed data was accessed from online publications/platforms.

  • ONLINE ANALYSIS

We captured 457 articles from online publications reporting children and children-related issues in Uganda during the first weeks of January 2024 (15th – 28th), indicating an increase of 145 articles from those recorded during the first two weeks of January 2024. Below is a table showing a breakdown by publication and category.

Publication Website URLKeeping children AliveKeeping Children SafeKeeping Children LearningTotal Number of articles
NTV Ugandahttps://www.ntv.co.ug/ug 20143468
Ankole Timeshttps://ankoletimes.co.ug/20103565
Daily Monitorhttps://www.monitor.co.ug18153063
The New Visionhttps://www.newvision.co.ug10          151540
Bukeddehttps://www.bukedde.co.ug7122140
Uganda Radio Networkhttps://ugandaradionetwork.net79723
The Independenthttps://www.independent.co.ug5            0914
BBS Terefayinahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQaMcZZMj6A23914
Daily Expresshttps://dailyexpress.co.ug24511
Nile Posthttps://nilepost.co.ug51511
UBC TVhttps://ubc.go.ug/2035
Chimp Reportshttps://chimpreports.com1236
Salt Mediahttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJWxzCeGTFkX7OiGSaOpGbw            0      167
PML Dailyhttps://www.pmldaily.com/2057
KFMhttps://www.kfm.co.ug2237
Chimp Reportshttps://chimpreports.com/1236
Urban TVhttps://www.youtube.com/@urbantv_ug3025
The Observerhttps://www.observer.ug0112
Capital Radiohttps://capitalradio.co.ug/0011
Watchdoghttps://www.watchdoguganda.com/category/news 3205
BNNhttps://www.  bnnbloomberg.ca/1304
Kampala Dispatchhttps://www.dispatch.ug/0314
Big Eye Ughttps://bigeye.ug/0101
Charmar Newshttps://charmarnews.com/0101
Union Leaderhttps://www.unionleader.com/1001
The Standard Ugandahttps://thestandard.co.ug/1124
Pulse Ughttps://www.pulse.ug/0123
PassBluehttps://www.passblue.com/0101
Delta TVhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrfPzJhfFi13FBQ-CUQqKsA0112
East Newshttps://eastnews.co.ug/2327
UG Posthttps://theugpost.com/0314
The Starhttps://www.the-star.co.ke/1001
Citizen Digitalhttps://www.citizen.digital/1001
Go Get Fundinghttps://gogetfunding.com/0101
Mbu Newshttps://mbu.ug/0101
Vic Exclusivehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW442V7nx4cwyc7hpHyEGqg0011
NDTVhttps://www.ndtv.com/1001
Uganda Police Forcehttps://www.upf.go.ug/0101
NTV Kenyahttps://ntvkenya.co.ke/0101
Uganda Red Cross Societyhttps://redcrossug.org/1001
Kawowo Sportshttps://kawowo.com/0011
Soft Power Newshttps://softpower.ug/0011
Dignitedhttps://www.dignited.com/0011
Eagle Onlinehttps://eagle.co.ug/0011
My Schoolhttps://myschool.ac.ug/            0            011
Kazi Njema Newshttps://kazi-njemanews.com/            0            011
The Informerhttps://www.informer.co.ug/            0            011
HTDS Content Serviceshttps://www.htsyndication.com/            0            011
Opinong Datahttps://guides.lib.uwo.ca/dataandstatistics/            0            011
Community Televisionhttps://www.infrastructure.gov.au/            0            011
English Newshttps://english.news.cn/            0            011
Delta TVhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/            0            112
Premier Christianityhttps://www.premierchristianity.com/            0            112
Pearl Timeshttps://pearltimes.co.ug/            0            101
Total 119118220457
  • CATEGORIES 

Two hundred twenty (220) articles were centered on Keeping Children Learning. 

Issues related to Keeping Children alive were reported in 119 articles. Articles on Keeping Children Learning were in 118 articles.

  • GENDER OF AUTHORS

During the period under review, male authors reported and/or wrote most articles. While some articles had more than one author, 78 articles had no authors specified.

  • SENTIMENT

We found that 56% of the articles on children and children related issues published online during the last two weeks of January 2024 had a Positive sentiment[4]. Children-related articles with neutral sentiment were the least in number.

Positive (255)                        Negative (142)                   Neutral (60) 

Out of the 142 children-related articles we recorded having a negative sentiment, two (02) mentioned UNICEF. The mentions were in the articles below.

  1. https://ankoletimes.co.ug/news/eight-babies-die-in-matany-hospital-due-to-lack-of-nutritious-milk/ Eight Babies Die in Matany Hospital Due to Lack of Nutritious Milk
  2. https://www.wionews.com/world/ugandan-minister-says-people-who-die-of-hunger-are-idiots-faces-backlash-683731 Ugandan minister says people who die of hunger are ‘idiots’, faces backlash
  • SHARE OF VOICE

The majority (83%) of the articles recorded during the last two weeks of January 2024 had a high share of voice[5] on children and children-related issues.

  • TYPE OF COVERAGE

The graph below shows the type of coverage of children-related articles online during the period 15th – 28th January 2024

  • MESSAGE FIDELITY

The majority (95%) of the children and children-related articles recorded during the last two weeks of January 2024 had high message fidelity. This implies that the messages were laid out clearly through the use of facts, statistics, audio-visuals and sources, making it easy for users to understand them as intended by the authors. Such articles are credible and trusted by content consumers.

  • NATURE OF QUOTES

Out of the 457 children-related articles we recorded from online publications, 340 had direct quotes, indicating journalists’ sourcing and clarity in presenting news.

  • USE OF VISUALS

In the articles recorded during this period, all 457 articleshadaudio–visuals (photos, videos, audio, and graphics), as shown below.

It should be noted that articles with visuals are understood much better than those without.

  • ISSUES COVERED

The graphic below shows the topics covered in children-related articles online. The size of the words in the figure below and the numbers shown in the brackets (after the graphic) reflect the frequency at which the various topics were reported on in online publications.

From the stories captured, we noted that the topics of 2023 PLE results and examinations were the most covered (157 and 156 times respectively) during this period. This was followed by:

47Child health
44Education
42Defilement
24Schools
19Child protection
15Child death
11Child murder
11Maternal health
8Parenting
8Neonatal health
8Covid
8Wash
8malaria
7Children with disabilities

Note that some stories covered more than one issue.

  • STORY DISTRIBUTION PER REGION

Most (324) of the stories recorded were from the Central region while the Northern region had the least stories at 28 as represented on the graph above.        

While some stories cut across different districts, others were general in nature and therefore were not recorded as coming from any of the four regions of Uganda.

Central Region: 324

Kampala (270)

Wakiso (13)

Mukono (15)

Masaka (13)

Luweero (7)

Entebbe (1)

Mpigi (2)

Nakasongola (2)

Gomba (1)

Eastern Region: 44

Jinja (7)

Bukedea (8)

Soroti (2)

Tororo (2)

Busia (1)

Kapchorwa (1)

Kamuli (1)

Kibuku (2)

Namisindwa (2)

Mbale (2)

Pallisa (1)

Kween (1)

Sironko (1)

Bududa (1)

Kapchorwa (1)

Budaka (1)

Butaleja (1)

Pallisa (1)

Katakwi (1)

Iganga (1)

Kotido (1)

Manafwa (2)

Northern Region: 28

Gulu (1)

Alebtong (1)

Moroto (2)

Lira (4)

Nabilatuk (1)

Arua (3)

Kitgum (1)

Pader (1)

Kotido (1)

Maracha (7)

Apac (1)

Oyam (2)

Omoro (1)

Nebbi (1)

Western Region: 39

Mbarara (6)

Fort Portal (1)

Kabale (11)

Sheema (2)

Kasese (7)

Ntungamo (5)

Bushenyi (2)

Rukungiri (1)

Hoima (2)

Ntoroko (1)

Bundibugyo (1)

  • UNICEF UGANDA WEBSITE ARTICLES

This part analyzes UNICEF Uganda messages, including press releases, reports and expertise, and how they are reported on by UNICEF Uganda website. One (01) article was published during the last two weeks of January 2024.

Story link & titleSearch Engine Optimization (SEO)[6]Comments
  1.                        https://www.unicef.org/uganda/stories/reimagining-education-increasing-access-digital-learning-adjumani-district Reimagining Education: Increasing access to digital learning in Adjumani DistrictPhotosGood use of keywordsLinksOutbound and inbound links on keywords and characters in your articles can make them stand out in Google searches. Keywords can also be included as tags.Headlines can also be made keyword-rich to make articles more searchable and attract readers’ attention.Exploit other visuals like graphics and animations whenever possible. Multimedia articles are not only easy to understand but also stand out in online searches.Use of block quotes, bolding key phrases and putting some parts of the article in list form makes it scannable and easy to read
  • UNICEF UGANDA MENTIONS

During this period, UNICEF Uganda was mentioned four (04) times in 457 children andchildren-related articles in online publications. Below are links to the articles where UNICEF Uganda was mentioned.

  1. https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/buganda-cultural-camp-goes-firm-on-coding-and-digital-skills-4498822 Buganda cultural camp goes firm on coding and digital skills
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30uJTnY_Ud0 UGANDA & KCCA LAUDED FOR COMMITMENT TO THE GEG PROGRAM BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
  3. https://ankoletimes.co.ug/news/eight-babies-die-in-matany-hospital-due-to-lack-of-nutritious-milk/ Eight Babies Die in Matany Hospital Due to Lack of Nutritious Milk
  4. https://www.wionews.com/world/ugandan-minister-says-people-who-die-of-hunger-are-idiots-faces-backlash-683731 Ugandan minister says people who die of hunger are ‘idiots’, faces backlash
  • COMPARATOR MENTIONS

The Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) was the most mentioned comparator in 148 stories, followed by the Ministry of Health with 11, World Health Organization with 9 mentions, among other comparators.

Below is a breakdown of all comparator mentions

  COMPARATOR  NUMBER OF MENTIONS
Ministry of Education and Sports148
Ministry of Health11
World Health Organization9
WFP4
UNAIDS1
UN1
WFP1
Uganda AIDS Commission1
Uganda Red Cross Society1
MGLSD1
USAID1
UNFPA1

3. SOCIAL MEDIA INSIGHTS 15TH – 28TH JANUARY 2024

FACEBOOK

x

INSTAGRAM

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

  • SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS

This part looks at how different media organizations in Uganda posted about children-related issues on social media. During this period, NTV Uganda, The New Vision, Urban TV and Daily Monitor posted the most on children. Posting was mainly on aspects of, PLE results, Vaccination, Child-murder, maternal mortality, child-death, WASH, child-torture, immunization, education, schools, child health, teachers, menstrual hygiene, teenage pregnancy and other sex-related offences against children, reproductive health, maternal and neonatal health, child protection, parenting violence against children, among others. Below are snippets from and links to the posts captured from social media in the last two weeks of January 2024:

https://www.facebook.com/NTVUganda/posts/794756916028228

https://www.facebook.com/NTVUganda/posts/795475385956381

https://www.facebook.com/nbstelevision/posts/800964582068370

https://www.facebook.com/thenewvision/posts/770945481743963

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/775901097901268

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/775884371236274

https://www.facebook.com/thenewvision/posts/772030151635496

https://www.facebook.com/nbstelevision/posts/803266265171535

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/777892957702082

https://www.facebook.com/NTVUganda/posts/799462552224331

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/776648017826576

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/776629607828417

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/776590017832376

https://www.facebook.com/thenewvision/posts/775389831299528

https://www.facebook.com/NTVUganda/posts/801979725305947

https://www.facebook.com/nbstelevision/posts/806631321501696

https://www.facebook.com/nbstelevision/posts/806611384837023

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/779850957506282

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/779836860841025

https://www.facebook.com/NTVUganda/posts/802964275207492

https://www.facebook.com/NTVUganda/posts/802854661885120

https://www.facebook.com/nbstelevision/posts/807302661434562

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/780435540781157

https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/780428194115225

https://www.facebook.com/thenewvision/posts/776675971170914

[1] Reports categorized as such may connote content published in a context of improving and addressing the issues concerning both the informal and formal education of a child, including early and progressive learning.

[2] This is concerned with articles and journalistic content that address the health of children in Uganda. It may also entail articles that look at the welfare of pregnant mothers or maternal health in general.

[3] Articles in this category may refer to a journalistic report(s) written and presented in the context of the social safety and welfare including the security of a child. Such articles include any content that addresses issues that threaten the lives of children like physical assault, psychosocial injury and threat.

[4] Sentiment (also known as tonality) is used to measure how messages contained in children related articles are portrayed in the media in relation to UNICEF’s mission to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, help meet their basic needs and expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. Sentiment is normally categorized as positive, neutral or negative.

[5] The measure of the publicity/exposure a brand or issue receives in a story compared to its competitors or other issues.

[6] Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving the content on your website to increase its visibility for relevant searches online.

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