Monitoring Media Coverage of The 2016 Elections - Final Report (Highlights)

Monitoring Media Coverage
of the 2016 Elections

Final Report
Overview
Introduction and explanation of the methodology.
Findings from pre-election day period, starting September 2015 to
16 February 2016.
Findings from election day and post-election coverage.
Findings from social media usage by presidential candidates during
elections.
BACKGROUND
Why monitor media coverage of elections?
The goal of ACMEs project is to contribute to accurate, fair, impartial and
balanced coverage of the 2016 elections. ACMEs specific objectives are:
To monitor, document and share trends in media coverage of the 2016
general elections.
To monitor media compliance with election reporting guidelines and
regulations.
To influence journalists, editors and media owners to provide information
that is more accurate, impartial and fair.
To empower civil society and the public to demand adherence to
professional standards in media coverage of elections.
Methodology (1)
Scope of study
A purposive sample of print and electronic media.
September-March coverage of presidential and parliamentary
elections by newspaper, television and radio.
Media content types: News, current affairs, and commentary.
Social media usage by presidential candidates during elections.
Data collection method
Story/article is the unit of analysis.
Content analysis.
Key informant interviews.
Methodology (2)
Sampling
9 newspapers
5 televisions channels
33 radio stations
Twitter profiles of presidential candidates Yoweri Museveni,
Kizza Besigye and Amama Mbabazi. The choice of Twitter
was informed by the frequency of use of the platform by the
three presidential candidates during elections, compared to
Facebook, for instance.
Methodology (3)
Sampling
PRINT PUBLICATIONS (9)
TELEVISION (5)
Dailies - New Vision, Daily

Public channels UBC &
Monitor, Red Pepper, Bukedde
Bukedde
Weeklies - The Independent,

Etop, Rupiny and Orumuri
Private channels NTV

Uganda, NBS & WBS
Tri-weekly - The Observer
SOCIAL MEDIA/TWITTER
@kagutamuseveni
@amamambabazi
@kizzabesigye1
Methodology (4)
Sampling
RADIO (33)
Languages: English, Luganda, Ateso, Luo, Lumasaba, Lusoga,

Lugbara and Runyakitara
Stations: UBC, Bukedde, Arua One, Baba FM, Buddu FM, Bushenyi
FM, Capital Radio, Central Broadcasting Services, Dokolo, Kagadi
Broadcasting Services, Kasese Guide, KFM, Kioga Veritus FM, Mighty
FM, Nenah, Nile, Open Gate FM, Radio Amani, Radio pacis, Radio
Rhino, Radio Sapienta, Radio West, Rock FM, Rukungiri FM, Signal
FM, Simba, Spice FM, Sun, Top Radio, Voice of Africa FM, Voice of
Kigezi, Voice of Life, Voice of Teso, Voice of Toro
Monitoring/Research Questions (1)

What topics do the media focus on in their coverage of the elections?
What type of reports do the media produce [news,
commentary/opinion, features/special reports, etc]?
What is the nature of the reporting [conventional, interpretive,
investigative, enterprise]?
Who are the sources in media coverage [ordinary people, party
officials, candidates, regulators, civil society, diplomats, religious
leaders, central government officials, local leaders, police/security,
etc]?
What is the number and gender of the sources?
Monitoring/Research Questions (2)

Which political parties are focused on in media coverage?
Which presidential candidates are focused on in media coverage?
How much time or space is dedicated to each party?
How much time or space is dedicated to each presidential candidate?
What is the tone of coverage?
How often do news stories interrogate candidate or party promises?
How often do news stories include background and context?
How did presidential candidates use Twitter?
THE RESULTS
September 2015 16 February 2016
Type of election
Presidential election most covered by all three media types;
-Newspapers (65%)
-TV (70.8%)
-Radio (53.8%)
Observation: Radio covered the parliamentary election more
than newspapers and television.
Type of election by media type

Type of election (%)
13.3
15.4
21.7
13.8
22.7
23.5
70.8
65.0
53.8
Newspaper
TV
Presidential
Radio
Parliamentary
Both
Type of election by newspaper

Type of election (%) N=4,116
15.6
15.4
11.4
16.5
17.1
10.7
11.6
10.6
5.9
19.7
18.8
19.5
23.0
36.8
33.3
50.0
11.1
40.2
Both
69.0
71.5
72.8
55.0
70.1
66.4
57.4
30.3
40.2
Parliamentary
Presidential
Type of election by television

Type of election (%) N=2,274
14.5
15.0
14.9
17.7
16.0
20.9
15.2
12.9
8.0
10.3
64.7
69.9
72.2
74.3
73.7
Bukedde
NBS
NTV Uganda
Presidential
Parliamentary
UBC
Both
WBS
Type of content by media type

Type of article (%)
89.6
96.1
98.0
10.4
3.9
2.0
Newspaper
TV
Commentary
Radio
News
Total space/time to election coverage

Newspaper: A total of 3,005,615cm space allocated to election
coverage. Of the total, Daily Monitor provided most space (26%),
followed by New Vision (25.1%).
Television: A total of 10,873 minutes allocated to election
coverage by TV stations monitored. NBS topped (31.5%) in
providing time to election stories.
Radio: Radio stations monitored allocated 10,257 minutes to
election coverage.
Space to election stories - newspaper

Space by publications (%) Area=3,005,615cm2
26.0
Monitor
25.1
New Vision
19.5
Red Pepper
12.9
Bukedde
9.1
The Observer
3.5
The Independent
1.8
Etop
1.2
Rupiny
0.9
Orumuri
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
Time to election stories - television

Time by station to elections (%) Time=10,873 minutes
31.5
NBS
26.4
NTV Uganda
17.1
UBC
13.4
Bukedde
WBS
11.5
Radio time to election coverage per region

Time to news stories per region (%) Time=10,257 minutes
24.9
Central
20.3
Kampala
17.7
Eastern
12.3
Western
11.9
West Nile
8.5
South-Western
Northern
4.5
Number of election stories

Newspaper: A total of 4,116 election stories were published in
newspapers between September and February. Of the total, Daily Monitor
(26%) had the highest number of stories and Rupiny (1.7%) had the least.
Television: A total of 2,274 election stories were aired by TV stations
monitored. Of the total, NTV Uganda (27.7%), aired the most number of
stories and WBS broadcast the least number WBS TV (18.7%).
Radio: There were 2,587 election stories aired on radio stations
monitored.
Number of election stories - newspaper

Number of election stories (%)N=4,116
26.6
Monitor
21.2
New Vision
19.6
Red Pepper
12.7
Bukedde
10.2
The Observer
3.2
Etop
2.8
The Independent
Rupiny
Orumuri
2.0
1.7
Number of election stories - television

Number of election stories (%) N=2,274
27.7
NTV Uganda
24.7
NBS
18.6
Bukedde
15.4
UBC
WBS
13.7
Number of radio news stories per region

Number of radio news stories per region (%) N=3,960 N1=3,879
23.4
Central
22.0
Kampala
14.7
Eastern
13.4
Western
11.2
West Nile
South-Western
Northern
7.8
7.5
Most covered candidate

Museveni was the most covered candidate by newspaper (38.8%),
television (45%) and radio stations monitored (41%).
Overall trend: Notable drop in space and time allocated to
Museveni, Besigye and Mbabazi between December and January.
Most covered candidate - newspaper

Space to candidates (%) Area=2,061,343.74cm2
38.8
Museveni
29.1
Mbabazi
21.3
Besigye
Baryamureeba
2.5
Mabirizi
2.3
Kyalya
2.1
Bwanika
2.0
Biraro
2.0
Most covered candidate per newspaper

Space to candidates by publication (%) Area=2,061,343.74cm2
23.8
30.9
44.0
51.3
52.1
43.4
4.2
4.5
1.9
25.0
1.2
1.2
1.9
19.9
27.3
1.6
1.6
3.9
4.7
3.8
26.4
5.4
11.3
23.8
21.6
1.4
2.0
19.3
3.5
1.8
2.0
12.6
0.6
0.5
5.5
5.7
2.1
6.2
16.7
6.4
47.0
Museveni
Kyalya
22.9
5.5
28.6
0.1
0.8
4.6
Mabirizi
Bwanika
Besigye
Biraro
31.9
20.4
1.1
0.4
0.8
1.9
1.9
0.0
24.4
2.3
34.5
41.2
0.5
0.7
0.4
3.0
1.3
3.2
37.6
25.9
33.6
Baryamureeba
Mbabazi
Most covered candidate - television

Time to candidates (%) Time=7,511 minutes
44.9
Museveni
21.6
Besigye
19.2
Mbabazi
4.6
Baryamureeba
3.3
Bwanika
Mabirizi
2.2
Kyalya
2.0
Biraro
2.0
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
Most covered candidate per TV station

39.9
30.2
40.5
49.0
2.2
2.6
72.6
3.3
2.4
2.4
6.1
21.3
2.2
2.2
2.4
2.6
2.2
27.6
4.8
28.5
3.8
1.4
2.5
24.0
Bukedde
Mbabazi
1.8
2.2
2.3
4.5
0.4
NBS
Besigye
17.1
12.3
NTV Uganda
Biraro
1.4
2.5
5.2
21.9
20.1
Baryamureeba
20.4
1.1
1.8
8.3
UBC
Bwanika
Mabirizi
WBS
Kyalya
Museveni
Most covered candidate - radio

41.1
Museveni
23.5
Mbabazi
22.8
Besigye
Kyalya
3.2
Baryamureeba
2.9
Bwanika
2.6
Biraro
2.0
Mabirizi
1.9
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
#Trends: Most covered candidate newspaper

60
50
49
44.2
43.8
40
37
30
39.4
39
29.5
27.6
25.7
39.7
28
21.1
20
26.9
19.8
16.7
22.5
16.4
18.8
10
September
October
November
Museveni
December
Mbabazi
Besigye
January
February
#Trends: Least covered candidate newspaper

Space to candidates (%)
4.6
Mabirizi
4.6
Baryamureeba
4.5
Bwanika
4.2
Biraro
3.6
Kyalya
3.4
3.0
2.9
2.6
2.3
2.5
2.1
1.6
1.6
1.5
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.7
0.3
November
December
January
February
#Trends: Most covered candidate television

Time to candidates (%)
53.4
45.2
32.8
43.8
32.8
Mbabazi
24.2
19.1
NOVEMBER
Besigye
20.2
18.9
DECEMBER
Museveni
18.4
14.8
JANUARY
13.6
FEBRUARY
#Trends: Least covered candidate television

Mabirizi
9.1
Biraro
Kyalya
6.6
Bwanika
Baryamureeba
4.5
4.3
3.7
3.5
3.3
4.6
3.5
1.8
1.3
3.4
2.5
1.1
0.9
0.5
0.4
November
December
2.9
2.4
2.4
January
February
#Trends: Most covered candidate radio

46.7
45.8
39.3
37.3
33.2
27.5
28.2
24.4
24.4
20.8
17.4
10.8
November
December
Besigye
January
Mbabazi
Museveni
February
#Trends: Least covered candidate radio

Mabirizi
4.7
4.6
Biraro
Bwanika
Kyalya
3.5
Baryamureeba
3.1
3.0
2.6
2.9
2.6
2.4
2.3
1.7
1.7
2.2
1.7
1.4
1.3
1.1
0.7
0.5
0.1
November
December
January
February
Pictures of presidential candidates

Museveni had the highest number of pictures overall (39.1%) and on
the front page (38.2%).
Kyalya had the least number of pictures overall (2.5%), while Bwanika
featured least on cover in terms of pictures (2%).
Pictures of candidates overall - newspaper

Number of pictures overall (%) n=2,552
39.1
Museveni
23.1
Mbabazi
22.4
Besigye
Baryamureeba
3.8
Bwanika
3.6
Mabirizi
2.8
Biraro
2.7
Kyalya
2.5
Pictures of candidates overall by newspaper

Number of pictures overall (%) n=2,552
2.3
2.9
1.8
4.1
4.5
5.2
4.7
3.2
5.5
4.7
18.7
1.1
1.7
1.9
1.9
1.3
29.5
1.3
0.9
2.2
1.3
1.8
31.9
2.3
0.6
2.6
2.3
4.3
1.8
1.8
3.6
5.4
3.6
17.8
26.8
22.3
3.2
5.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
22.3
19.8
21.9
9.6
5.8
23.1
2.7
4.1
4.1
10.8
4.1
14.9
15.3
29.2
23.2
21.3
21.2
27.2
Monitor
33.9
31.4
27.2
RedPepper
28.4
50.4
47.1
43.9
New Vision
5.8
1.9
1.9
The Observer
Bukedde
The
Independent
35.1
Orumuri
30.8
Rupiny
31.1
Etop
Mabirizi
Biraro
Kyalya
Baryamureeba
Bwanika
Mbabazi
Besigye
Museveni
Pictures of candidates on front page

Pictures on front page (%) n=408
38.2
Museveni
26.5
Mbabazi
24.5
Besigye
2.7
Baryamureeba
Biraro
2.2
Mabirizi
2.0
Kyalya
2.0
Bwanika
2.0
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
Pictures of candidates on front page per

newspaper
Pictures on front page (%) n=408
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
5.0
11.3
2.8
1.8
1.8
2.8
0.9
1.3
2.6
2.6
2.6
1.3
25.7
1.9
1.9
22.5
3.3
6.7
3.3
6.7
6.7
42.3
8.3
11.1
25.0
11.1
39.5
15.0
11.1
27.5
20.0
Mabirizi
Biraro
Kyalya
33.3
32.1
18.4
33.3
23.3
26.9
Bwanika
Mbabazi
58.8
50.0
32.1
New Vision
Baryamureeba
Monitor
31.6
RedPepper
30.0
26.9
The
Observer
Bukedde
Orumuri
33.3
Rupiny
33.3
Etop
Besigye
Museveni
Front page coverage

There were 950 front page stories on presidential candidates.
Mbabazi received the most (32.4%) coverage on front page,
followed by Museveni (30%) and Besigye (23.7%).
Mabirizi least covered on front page (2.3%).
Overall trend: Mbabazi dominated front page from September
to October, before losing the slot to Museveni from November
onwards.
Front page coverage - newspaper

Front page coverage (%) n=950
32.4
Mbabazi
30.3
Museveni
23.7
Besigye
3.6
Baryamureeba
Biraro
2.7
Kyalya
2.5
Bwanika
2.4
Mabirizi
2.3
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
Front page coverage per newspaper

Front page coverage by candidate (%) n=950
33.8
30.8
27.9
34.6
3.3
2.5
2.5
2.8
2.8
2.8
30.8
19.7
2.8
4.2
7.7
3.4
3.4
3.4
3.6
3.6
1.0
1.0
1.5
6.8
6.8
18.2
3.4
4.4
6.8
25.4
Monitor
New Vision
20.8
1.0
1.5
28.6
29.6
0.8
0.8
0.8
Kyalya
21.4
24.8
7.1
Museveni
Mabirizi
Bwanika
0.8
1.6
Besigye
Biraro
9.1
28.3
Etop
6.8
22.0
15.4
Bukedde
29.2
28.3
15.4
31.0
27.3
Baryamureeba
44.1
42.9
40.8
18.2
Orumuri
RedPepper
Rupiny
The
Observer
Mbabazi
#Trends: Front page coverage of candidates

Front page coverage (%) n=950
54.5
40.2
33.6
32.9
26.8
39.6
36.1
31.5
28.8
35.2
30.2
27.8
21
20.8
20.8
23.1
18.7
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
7.3
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
Mbabazi
Besigye
Museveni
Most covered topic

Politics was the most covered topic overall by newspaper,
television and TV from September to February.
However, in September and October, the proportion of politics
covered by newspapers was higher than in other months.
Most covered topic by media type

Newspaper (%) n=5,462
36.4
Politics
10.0
Economy
Security
7.9
Infrastructure
7.9
Health
7.6
6.6
Education
Agriculture
5.5
Human rights
5.1
Corruption
3.6
Energy
2.8
Natural resources
Land
Television(%) n=4,707
Radio (%) n=6,112

30.8
Politics
44.4
Politics
Economy
10.4
Security
Infrastructure
10.0
Economy
7.7
Infrastructure
7.0
Education
6.1
Health
5.5
Human rights
5.1
Agriculture
4.1
3.2
9.2
Security
8.1
Health
7.1
Education
5.8
Agriculture
Human rights
4.4
10.1
Energy
3.3
Corruption
2.5
Corruption
3.1
Energy
1.6
2.3
Natural resources
2.9
Natural resources
1.5
2.8
Other
1.5
Other
1.2
Land
Foreign affairs
0.7
Other
1.5
Land
1.4
Petition
0.0
Foreign affairs
0.7
Foreign affairs
0.9
#Trends: Most covered topics newspaper (1)

SEPTEMBER (%) n=441
66.7
Politics
Economy
Human rights
Security
Other
Education
Infrastructure
Agriculture
Corruption
Health
Land
Natural resources
Energy
Foreign Affairs
6.6
6.1
5.0
3.2
2.7
2.7
2.3
1.8
1.8
0.7
0.2
0.2
0.0
NOVEMBER (%) n=2,115
OCTOBER (%) n=723
Politics
59.2
Politics
Human rights
Security
Economy
Other
Corruption
Infrastructure
Education
Health
Agriculture
Energy
Natural resources
Land
Foreign Affairs
7.3
7.1
4.7
3.6
3.5
3.2
2.9
2.5
2.4
1.5
0.8
0.7
0.7
Economy
Education
Infrastructure
Security
Health
Agriculture
Corruption
Human rights
Energy
Natural resources
Land
Other
Foreign affairs
28.1
11.4
9.3
8.4
8.3
7.6
6.7
5.4
4.0
3.3
2.6
2.25
1.85
0.9
#Trends: Most covered topic newspaper (2)

DECEMBER (%) n=1,720
JANUARY (%) n=1,719

31.5
Politics
30.5
Politics
11.2
Economy
10.4
Economy
Health
10.0
Infrastructure
8.6
Security
8.1
8.7
Infrastructure
Security
7.4
Health
7.9
Education
7.4
Education
7.4
Agriculture
6.9
7.0
Agriculture
4.8
Human rights
4.5
Human rights
Corruption
4.4
Natural resources
3.7
Corruption
3.5
2.3
Energy
3.1
2.3
Land
3.0
Energy
Land
Natural resources
other
Foreign affairs
3.0
0.9
0.4
FEBRUARY (%) n=1,014
Other
0.8
Foreign affairs
0.8
31.9
Politics
11.2
Economy
10.4
Security
Infrastructure
8.7
Health
8.5
6.5
Education
Humanrights
3.9
Energy
3.9
Agriculture
3.9
Corruption
3.5
Natural resources
3.0
Land
2.6
Foreign affairs
Other
1.6
0.7
Tone of coverage
Generally, the tone of coverage by all three media types
was neutral, averaging 60%.
Newspaper: Orumuri (97%), Etop (74%) and New Vision (73%)
had stories with the most neutral tone.
Television: Bukedde (66.7), NTV (66%) and UBC (60%) aired
stories with the most neutral tone.
Candidates: Mbabazi and Besigye had the most number of
stories with negative tone across all three media.
Story tone by media type

Tone of coverage (%)
100%
15.5
9.3
11.0
61.3
60.5
29.4
28.5
90%
80%
70%
60%
60.7
50%
40%
30%
20%
23.8
10%
0%
Newspaper
TV
Positive
Neutral
Radio
Negative
Newspaper story tone

Tone of coverage (%) N=4,116 N1=2,796
9.5
15.7
15.5
9.3
27.2
14.5
12.5
0.0
22.1
36.3
73.3
60.7
62.5
61.6
74.5
57.2
97.6
67.5
54.4
17.2
23.6
22.9
25.0
15.6
Positive
10.9
Neutral
Negative
2.4
10.4
Television story tone

Tone of coverage (%) N=2,274, N1=1,820
6.2
3.2
9.9
13.3
13.5
59.9
66.7
55.6
27.2
31.1
Bukedde
NBS
55.2
66.1
36.9
24.0
NTV Uganda
Positive
Neutral
UBC
Negative
31.3
WBS
Newspaper story tone by candidate

Tone of coverage (%) n=2409
18.8
5.7
5.4
62.0
63.4
4.5
5.8
5.2
67.3
67.5
63.5
28.2
26.7
31.3
62.1
62.2
19.0
17.8
32.3
31.3
20.2
Positive
Neutral
Negative
14.8
59.5
25.7
TV story tone by candidate

Tone of coverage (%) n=2,372
15.4
3.3
4.7
62.5
58.8
4.0
60.5
61.3
62.6
22.1
10.8
34.2
36.5
28.0
Positive
35.5
Neutral
7.5
62.3
30.2
Negative
6.9
55.2
37.9
7.5
61.9
30.7
Radio story tone by candidate

Tone of coverage (%) n=3,296
12.6
2.2
2.1
58.0
52.8
1.1
2.7
52.6
49.3
2.8
57.6
59.7
61.4
26.0
11.0
39.8
46.3
45.1
47.9
29.2
Positive
Neutral
Negative
39.6
9.0
58.6
32.4
#Trends: Newspaper story tone

66.7
58
58.2
56.4
21.4
20.5
28.2
30.4
SEPTEMBER
13.6
13.2
17.7
15.6
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Positive
Neutral
Negative
63.3
21.6
15.1
JANUARY
62.6
25.5
11.9
FEBRUARY
#Trends: Television story tone

69.9
62.1
64.1
27.9
26.9
62.1
29.3
20.1
10
10.0
9.0
8.6
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
Positive
Neutral
Negative
#Trends: Radio story tone

71.3
60
63.5
50.7
37.2
32
24.3
18.8
12.2
9.9
November
December
Positive
January
Neutral
Negative
12.1
February
Reporting approach
The most dominant reporting approach by all three media types
was Conventional.
Among the newspapers, Etop, The Independent, The Observer
stood out for having a fair mix of the four reporting approaches.
Overall trend:
Conventional reporting highest between November and
February.
Dominance of conventional reporting pronounced in radio and
TV.
Reporting approach by media type

Reporting approach (%)
8.6
11.1
5.5
4.7
6.7
7.9
4.6
4.9
83.1
82.7
10.3
69.9
Newspaper
Conventional
TV
Interpretive
Radio
Investigative
Enterprise
Reporting approach per newspaper

Reporting approach (%) N=4,116 N1=3,688
6.5
10.0
5.8
9.9
10.4
11.0
8.2
16.4
16.0
12.8
3.2
3.6
3.0
9.2
32.2
16.1
77.7
13.6
4.2
16.7
11.8
4.4
16.7
1.5
16.2
16.1
24.7
90.1
66.9
56.4
24.7
66.7
65.2
67.6
50.0
34.4
Conventional
Interpretive
Investigative
Enterprise
Reporting approach per TV station

Reporting approach (%) N=2,274, N1=2,179
2.1
0.7
0.7
11.0
8.5
7.5
7.5
8.6
Bukedde
NBS
Conventional
7.2
8.8
96.4
73.0
3.9
2.9
4.3
0.9
4.9
86.2
78.8
NTV Uganda
Interpretive
85.9
UBC
Investigative
WBS
Enterprise
Background and context

Most election stories by the media contained background and
context, but the percentages of stories that lacked it is
worrying.
Background & context by media type

Background context (%)
63.0
56.6
50.7
37.0
43.4
49.3
Newspaper
TV
No
Radio
Yes
Background & context by newspaper

Background (%) N=4,116 N1=2,135
49.4
35.9
78.2
50.6
55.2
62.0
62.1
54.5
76.1
79.7
64.1
44.8
38.0
37.9
21.8
23.9
20.3
No
45.5
Yes
Background & context by television

Background (%) N=2,446, N1=1,455
47.9
52.1
Bukedde
52.1
47.9
NBS
60.9
66.1
59.6
39.1
33.9
40.4
NTV Uganda
No
UBC
Yes
WBS
#Trends: Background & context - newspaper

Background & context (%)
67.7
70.6
65.6
62.8
54.9
45.1
32.3
SEPTEMBER
34.4
52.3
47.7
No
37.2
Yes
29.4
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
#Trends: Background & context - television

67.6
60.7
59.8
50.3
49.7
40.2
39.3
32.4
November
December
January
No
Yes
February
#Trends: Background & context - radio
61
59.0
52.2
52.4
47.6
November
47.8
39
41.0
December
January
No
Yes
February
Interrogation of claims
Generally, the media did not interrogate claims and promises
made by presidential candidates.
Its however noteworthy that Daily Monitor introduced the
Factchecker and Truthometer as a way of interrogating claims
and promises by presidential candidates.
Interrogation of claims by media type

Interrogation of claims (%)
38.2
61.8
Newspaper
22.3
26.3
77.7
73.7
TV
Radio
No
Yes
Interrogation of claims by newspaper

Interrogation of claims (%) N=4,116 N1=1,882
8.6
30.1
46.2
42.0
28.7
37.5
46.0
48.8
52.9
91.4
69.9
53.8
58.0
71.3
62.5
54.0
No
Yes
47.1
51.2
Interrogation of claims & promises by television

Interrogation of claims (%) N=2,274, N1=1,249
9.0
30.2
91.0
69.8
Bukedde
NBS
21.5
20.0
78.5
80.0
NTV Uganda
No
UBC
Yes
30.6
69.4
WBS
#Trends: Interrogation of claims - newspaper

61.9
63.4
62.2
61.8
38.1
36.6
37.8
38.2
65.1
60.1
39.9
34.9
No
Yes
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
#Trends: Interrogation of claims - television

81.5
76.2
76.8
70.8
No
Yes
29.2
23.8
23.2
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
18.5
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
#Trends: Interrogation of claims - radio

82.8
76.2
70
70.8
30
29.2
23.8
17.2
November
December
January
No
Yes
February
Sourcing
Number of sources
Overall, most election stories were single-sourced.
The problem of single sourcing more pronounced in radio.
Overall trend: An increase in the use of at least two sources.
Gender of sources
Male voices dominant in election stories.
Overall trend: Increase in number of female sources between January
and February across all three media types.
Number of sources by media type

Number of sources (%)
9.8
75.0
62.0
57.2
One source
16.3
21.0
19.1
Newspaper
3.1
5.6
8.4
8.6
13.8
TV
Two sources
Radio
Three sources
Multiple sources
Gender of sources by media type

Gender of sources (%)
84.2
85.4
87.1
15.8
14.6
12.9
Newspaper
TV
Female
Radio
Male
Gender of sources by newspaper

Gender of sources (%) n=6,607
82.8
17.2
86.1
13.9
85.7
14.3
85.9
14.1
85.6
14.4
Female
67.9
32.1
Male
66.3
33.7
81.3
90.4
18.7
9.6
Gender of sources by television

Gender of sources (%) n=3,569
79.5
87.1
86.0
89.7
87.1
20.5
12.9
14.0
10.3
12.9
Bukedde
NBS
NTV Uganda
Female
UBC
Male
WBS
#Trends: Gender of sources - newspaper

84.3
82.2
84.1
82.7
85.3
83.6
Male
Female
15.7
SEPTEMBER
17.8
OCTOBER
15.9
17.4
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
14.7
16.4
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
#Trends: Gender of sources - television

87.4
84.0
88.5
85.7
Female
Male
12.6
NOVEMBER
16.0
DECEMBER
11.5
JANUARY
14.3
FEBRUARY
#Trends: Gender of sources - radio

88.6
86.7
87.8
85.9
11.4
13.3
12.2
14.1
November
December
January
February
Female
Male
Sourcing by occupation
Presidential candidates are dominant sources in election stories.
Dearth in the use of experts as sources, particularly by radio (2%).
Inclusion of ordinary persons voices in election stories was
encouraging.
Occupation of source by media type

Presidential candidate
26.0
16.1
15.4
13.1
Ordinary person
Party official
Parliamentary candidate
Candidates agent
Expert
Police Representative
Electoral Commission
Anonymous
NGO/CSO official
Executive
Religious leader
Election observer
Judicial Officer
Business person
Army
Donor
4.3
4.2
3.6
3.6
3.6
2.8
1.9
1.6
1.2
1.1
0.6
0.5
0.2
Radio (%) n=4,963
Television (%) n=3,601
Newspaper (%) n=6,900
15.4
Ordinary person
10.7
Party official
9.8
6.0
Expert
4.4
Candidates agent
4.0
NGO/CSO official
3.7
3.7
Religious leader
1.8
Executive
1.4
Judicial Officer
1.2
Election observer
0.9
Anonymous
0.9
Army
0.6
Donor 0.2
Business person 0.2
Other (Specify) 0.1
34.9
18.1
Party official
13.9
9.7
Ordinary person
6.4
5.2
Candidates agent
4.8
NGO/CSO official
4.6
Executive
2.4
Religious leader
2.3
Expert
2.0
Anonymous
1.2
Judicial Officer
1.2
Election observer
0.8
Army
0.6
Donor 0.2
Other 0.1
Business person 0.1
26.5
POST-ELECTION COVERAGE
Period: 18 February - 31 March 2016
Key events: Election day, the petition and activities of the opposition
Space/Time to post-election coverage

New Vision and NTV Uganda provided the most space and
time respectively, to coverage of post-election activities.
Besigye was the most covered presidential candidate by radio
and television, while newspapers covered Museveni most.
Space to post-election coverage - newspaper

Space by publication(%) Area=352,424.35 Cm2
23.7
New Vision
18.5
Red Pepper
17.0
Monitor
14.1
The Observer
11.0
Bukedde
7.1
The Independent
Orumuri
Etop
Rupiny
3.2
2.9
2.6
Time to post-election coverage - television

Time by TV station (%) Time=1,164 minutes
43.4
NTV Uganda
31.8
NBS
15.9
WBS
Bukedde
UBC
4.8
4.2
Most covered candidate - newspapers

Space to candidates (%) Area=232,174.58 Cm2
38.1
Museveni
30.8
Besigye
27.5
Mbabazi
Mabirizi
0.9
Bwanika
0.8
Biraro
0.7
Baryamureeba
0.6
Kyalya
0.5
Most covered candidate - television

Time to candidates (%) Time=840 minutes
37.8
Besigye
34.7
Mbabazi
21.3
Museveni
2.5
Biraro
Baryamureeba
1.7
Bwanika
1.6
Kyalya
0.5
Most covered candidate by television

Time to candidates (%) Time=840 minutes
20.5
18.6
23.8
18.0
28.5
2.2
0.9
1.2
0.4
2.0
2.9
9.3
54.2
44.0
Bukedde
Kyalya
Bwanika
37.2
Besigye
2.4
25.2
29.5
Museveni
33.0
NBS
Biraro
5.4
1.3
59.3
50.3
Mbabazi
29.9
NTV Uganda
Baryamureeba
UBC
WBS
Most covered candidate radio

33.4
Besigye
29.9
Museveni
23.8
Mbabazi
3.7
Mabirizi
Bwanika
2.5
Baryamureeba
2.3
Biraro
2.3
Kyalya
2.0
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
Electoral administration by media type

(election day)
Electoral administration (%)
13.8
0.6
15.5
1.4
1.1
24.1
23.1
23.8
22.1
21.7
29.8
39.5
36.7
29.8
Newspaper
Results
17.1
Administration
TV
Transparency&Accountability
Radio
Voter Education
Voter Information
Electoral administration by newspaper

Electoral administration (%) n=793
2.3
3.7
1.9
3.0
15.7
26.9
33.0
32.7
0.6
13.2
20.6
11.8
17.6
3.8
6.7
20.0
27.3
23.1
23.1
24.2
21.6
29.4
24.3
29.4
34.6
Voter Education
19.0
73.3
72.7
58.2
43.2
29.4
37.4
Voter Information
36.8
41.2
38.5
Administration
Results
Electoral administration by television

Electoral administration (%) n=281
13.3
1.9
33.3
21.0
1.0
33.3
20.4
6.7
20.0
21.4
27.0
18.9
23.8
25.2
42.9
13.3
40.0
26.7
Bukedde
Results
32.0
4.8
54.1
19.0
NBS
Administration
NTV Uganda
UBC
WBS
Voter Education
Voter Information
Most covered topic - newspapers

Most covered topics (%) n=1,042
Politics
Petition
Security
Human rights
Economy
Corruption
Infrastructure
Agriculture
Other
Education
Health
Land
Foreign affairs
Natural resources
Energy
39.7
16.4
11.7
11.6
4.0
3.9
2.3
2.1
1.9
1.7
1.3
1.2
1.2
0.6
0.4
Most covered topic - television

Most covered topic (%) n=411
33.82
Politics
25.06
Petition
17.52
Security
15.09
Human rights
Corruption
Other
Foreign affairs
Economy
Education
Natural resources
Health
Land
Energy
Agriculture
Infrastructure
3.16
2.43
1.22
0.73
0.49
0.24
0.24
0
0
0
0
Most covered topic - radio

Most covered topics (%) n=1,073
Politics
Security
Petition
Human rights
Other
Foreign affairs
Economy
Corruption
Education
Health
Agriculture
Infrastructure
Land
Natural resources
Energy
42.8
19.1
18.1
12.2
1.4
1.4
1.4
1.1
0.8
0.7
0.4
0.4
0.2
0.1
0.0
Candidate tone
Tone of coverage for presidential candidates was
dominantly neutral across all three media types.
Tone of newspaper coverage by candidate

12.8
21.4
73.8
50.0
13.4
17.6
23.8
47.1
26.7
26.7
40.0
33.3
33.3
40.0
64.4
28.6
35.3
11.9
Positive
Neutral
Negative
30.8
38.5
30.8
15.3
66.5
18.2
Tone of television coverage by candidate

14.1
33.3
69.2
12.7
25.3
100.0
66.7
16.7
62.7
100.0
Neutral
72.7
14.5
12.0
Positive
100.0
Negative
Tone of radio coverage by candidate

Tone of coverage (%) N=751, N1=454, n=645
5.9
70.4
23.7
3.9
10.6
66.7
58.3
33.3
41.7
61.9
69.6
68.4
69.8
38.1
30.4
31.6
26.3
63.5
25.9
Positive
Neutral
Negative
Sourcing
Single-sourced stories dominant in post-election coverage
with Bukedde newspaper and UBC TV having the highest
number of single-sourced stories.
Judicial officers were the most quoted sources in postelection reporting.
Number of sources by media type

Number of sources (%)
3.1
6.6
26.1
21.5
58.1
14.6
20.5
6.3
10.8
68.8
38.7
24.8
Newspaper
One source
TV
Two sources
Radio
Three sources
Multiple sources
Number of sources by newspaper

Number of sources (%) N=668, N1=555
33.9
13.6
20.0
21.0
43.4
27.2
15.6
7.9
4.8
10.0
17.5
30.0
14.4
27.2
11.8
28.2
24.7
60.0
50.0
31.6
30.3
One source
Two sources
29.6
14.8
47.4
69.8
50.0
16.7
33.3
14.5
24.3
5.3
15.8
Three sources
Multiple sources
55.6
Number of sources by television

Number of sources (%) N=252, N1=222
30.8
0.0
30.8
52.6
54.3
7.7
79.2
30.8
5.3
7.4
8.6
38.5
Bukedde
2.6
29.6
NBS
One source
10.5
61.5
31.6
10.4
7.8
NTV Uganda
Two sources
Three sources
UBC
WBS
Multiple sources
Sourcing by occupation - newspapers

Sourcing by occupation (%) n=1,624
Judicial Officer
Ordinary person
Electoral Commission official
Party official
Expert
Candidates agent
NGO/CSO official
Anonymous
Report/Policy/Law
Religious leader
Election observer
Public Officer
Witness
Army
Donor
Business person
15.6
12.5
11.0
9.9
9.2
8.4
7.3
6.7
4.6
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.1
2.0
1.4
0.6
0.5
0.3
0.1
Sourcing by occupation - television

Sourcing by occupation (%) n=1,089
Judicial Officer
Party official
Ordinary person
Candidates agent
Expert
NGO/CSO official
Public Officer
Religious leader
Election observer
Army
Anonymous
Report/Policy/Law
18.46
16.8
12.49
9.37
8.63
7.44
6.98
4.96
4.96
4.13
1.74
1.56
0.83
0.83
0.55
0.28
Sourcing by occupation - radio

Sourcing by occupation (%) n=888
Judicial Officer
Party official
NGO/CSO official
Expert
Ordinary person
Candidates agent
Religious leader
Public Officer
Election observer
Army
Executive
Witness
Uganda Communications
Donor
Business person
Anonymous
14.5
13.0
12.2
12.1
11.7
11.0
5.9
4.6
3.6
3.2
2.8
2.4
1.0
0.7
0.6
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1
SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE IN THE 2016 ELECTIONS

According to a 2015 Afrobarometer report, 6% of Ugandans get their news from social
media channels. Majority of them (95%) use Facebook as their main news channel.
In this study, we explore how Museveni, Mbabazi and Besigye used Twitter during the
elections.
Introduction
Three candidates Museveni, Mbabazi, Besigye - were chosen on the
basis of the frequency of their use of Twitter and the level of influence of
their tweets.
Selection, tools and handles

Why Twitter?
Searchable conversations.
Tools
Socialbakers, Yoast and Twitter internal analytics.
Twitter handles
@kagutamuseveni
@amamambabazi
@kizzabesigye1
Note: Candidates also used their party/group Twitter handles for

campaigns, but only those through which the candidates officially speak
were monitored.
Definitions - 1
Total followers: The total number of profile followers during a
selected time range.
Relative change in followers: The percentage change in followers
during a selected time range.
Absolute change in followers: The total change in followers during a
selected time range.
Interactions are both outgoing and incoming
Total tweets: The total number of tweets made by a profile during
the selected time range.
Average tweets per day: The sum of all engagement rates of original
tweets made over the month divided by the total tweets made during
the same time period.
Definitions -2
Retweet count: Number of times the Profile has been retweeted

Mentions: Total number of organic mentions made about the
Profile during a selected time range.
Influencers: List of the top users most frequently interacting with the
Profile through individual mentions.
Outgoing interactions: Replies, retweets or mentions of a user by the
Profile.
Incoming interaction: Replies, retweets or mentions of the Profile by
users.
Total following: The total number of users the Profile is following
Total number of followers

Total Number of followers(%)
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
December
January
Yoweri Museveni
February
Amama Mbabazi
Kizza Besigye
March
Trends in Twitter followers

All three candidates had a steady increase in number of followers
each month.
In relative terms, Besigyes following grew the most by 20.8% in
January compared to Mbabazi (7.2%) and Museveni (10.6%).
Trends in Twitter followers

February
March
Yoweri Museveni
4.37%
3.84%
Amama Mbabazi
3.37%
5.19%
Kizza Besigye
32.22%
16.27%
Absolute change in number of followers

35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
-
December
Yoweri Museveni
January
February
Amama Mbabazi
March
KizzaBesigye
Following
There is a significant difference in the approach of candidates to
receiving information through their Twitter timelines, indicated by the
number of profiles they follow. Yet the larger and more diverse your
following, the wider ones topics and the more likely one is to engage
in discussion, share information and respond to queries.
Total number of Twitter profiles following

December
January
February
March
14
16
17
17
6,241
6,326
6,342
6,579
319
323
325
331
Total number of tweets

300
250
200
150
100
50
0
December
January
Yoweri Museveni
February
Amama Mbabazi
March
Kizza Besigye
Average tweets per day

December
January
February
March
4.6
5.4
4.9
1.4
0.4
8.6
4.1
0.2
0.9
0.9
1.4
2.1
S
E
L
E
C
T
T
W
E
E
T
S
S
E
L
E
C
T
T
W
E
E
T
S
Total number of interactions

35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
December
Yoweri Museveni
January
February
Amama Mbabazi
March
Kizza Besigye
Total number of retweets

7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
-
December
Yoweri Museveni
January
February
Amama Mbabazi
March
Kizza Besigye
Total number of mentions

30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
-
December
Yoweri Museveni
January
February
Amama Mbabazi
March
Kizza Besigye
Top influencers from December - February

@kagutamuseveni
@amamambabazi
@kizzabesigye1
1. @TeamSevo
992 mentions
1. @Tjozra
899 mentions
1. @FDCOfficial1
731 mentions
2. @lenonmullar
908 mentions
(Just one month- Jan)
2. @talemwa2008
806 mentions
2. @ByamugishaMoses
322 mentions
3. @amonrukundo
635 mentions
3. @jude_mugabi
749 mentions
3. @jude_mugabi
302 mentions
4. @kiryowakk
626 mentions
4. @Amama2016
643 mentions
4. @BMKGift
214 mentions
5. @hkashillingi
376 mentions
5. @JMNkangi
595 mentions
5. @#vote4change
212 mentions
@lenonmullar NOT a bot
Total number of replies

3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
-
December
Yoweri Museveni
January
February
Amama Mbabazi
March
Kizza Besigye
Response to questions on Twitter

On the whole, candidates were slow to answer questions directly
sent to their Twitter handles.
Of the 3,410 questions addressed to @kagutamuseveni, none were
responded to from December 2015 to March 2016.
@AmamaMbabazi answered eight out of the 2,148 questions sent to
his handle.
@KizzaBesigye1 received the fewest number of questions 1,789
and responded to two of them in the period monitored.
Summary of conclusions
All three presidential candidates used Twitter in the same manner that
they use traditional media platforms: as a space to provide information,
but not a space to listen, respond and debate.
There were numerous opportunities lost by the presidential candites in
engaging with large following; such as answering questions and
distinguishing themselves from their rivals by mentioning them by
name (handle).
While supporters of the three candidates were quite combative on
Twitter, they kept the conversation cordial, only hinting on their rivalry
in covert ways.
Inquiries and information:

Website: www.acme-ug.org
Facebook: ACME.UG
Twitter: ACME_Uganda
Email: info@acme-ug.org

Monitoring Media Coverage of The 2016 Elections - Final Report (Highlights)

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Monitoring Media Coverage of The 2016 Elections - Final Report (Highlights)

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Monitoring Media Coverage

of the 2016 Elections

Dailies - New Vision, Daily

Weeklies - The Independent,

Private channels NTV

Tri-weekly - The Observer

Languages: English, Luganda, Ateso, Luo, Lumasaba, Lusoga,

Monitoring/Research Questions (1)

Monitoring/Research Questions (2)

Type of election by media type

Type of election by newspaper

Type of election by television

Type of content by media type

Total space/time to election coverage

Space to election stories - newspaper

Time to election stories - television

Radio time to election coverage per region

Number of election stories

Number of election stories - newspaper

Number of election stories - television

Number of radio news stories per region

Most covered candidate

Most covered candidate - newspaper

Most covered candidate per newspaper

Most covered candidate - television

Most covered candidate per TV station

Most covered candidate - radio

#Trends: Most covered candidate newspaper

#Trends: Least covered candidate newspaper

#Trends: Most covered candidate television

#Trends: Least covered candidate television

#Trends: Most covered candidate radio

#Trends: Least covered candidate radio

Pictures of presidential candidates

Pictures of candidates overall - newspaper

Pictures of candidates overall by newspaper

Pictures of candidates on front page

Pictures of candidates on front page per

Front page coverage

Front page coverage - newspaper

Front page coverage per newspaper

#Trends: Front page coverage of candidates

Most covered topic

Most covered topic by media type

Radio (%) n=6,112

#Trends: Most covered topics newspaper (1)

NOVEMBER (%) n=2,115

OCTOBER (%) n=723

#Trends: Most covered topic newspaper (2)

JANUARY (%) n=1,719

FEBRUARY (%) n=1,014

Story tone by media type

Newspaper story tone

Television story tone

Newspaper story tone by candidate

TV story tone by candidate

Radio story tone by candidate

#Trends: Newspaper story tone

#Trends: Television story tone

#Trends: Radio story tone

Reporting approach by media type

Reporting approach per newspaper

Reporting approach per TV station