While liberals kowtow to Muslim nations lacking freedom of religion, and with harsh Sharia law, these same liberals lambast a black African, Christian nation as it struggles to translate morality into societal standards.
-- From "Handling issues of homosexuality in Uganda’s rural media" BBC News 3/2/10
[The Bahati Bill] Nicknamed after the Member of Parliament who drafted it, David Bahati, [is] Uganda’s controversial Anti-Homosexuality bill.
The proposed legislation, which is currently being reviewed by a committee, says individuals found guilty of having gay sex will be sentenced to life in prison. And anyone who has gay sex with a minor could face the death penalty. Even people who aren’t gay could be penalised up to seven years in prison if they don’t report homosexual acts to the police.
Since the bill was drafted last year, the national media in Uganda has capitalised on its controversy, running front page stories and high-profile debates on radio and television networks.
BBC WST mentor Patricia Oyella thinks the Ugandan media has done a poor job of representing the pro-gay perspective in their coverage of the anti-gay bill. But while she thinks those voices need to be heard, she says it’s important for media houses to be careful in their approach.
“There could be potential backlash, and you can’t underestimate that. This is a very traditional, conservative society. You can’t be seen to be trying to impose. If anyone interprets what you’re doing as actively promoting homosexuality it will receive a big backlash,” she says.
Oyella thinks that instead of tackling the issue of homosexuality head-on, there are less-inflammatory ways to bring out the issues of gay rights in the media.
. . . Many Ugandans feel developed countries came out too hard against the bill, some even threatening to cut aid if it gets passed. Oyella says it is important the BBC WST continues to promote balanced, impartial and good journalism but that it shouldn’t be seen as trying to impose an editorial agenda.
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