Local Television News Anchor and Reporter Canary Mugume was yesterday challenged by RX Radio’s James Onen after Mugume tweeted one of the series of ‘NBS Investigates,’ which showed citizens selling and buying fake Covid-19 vaccination cards.
Popularly known as Fatboy, the Presenter reprimanded the NBS television news anchor for being a propagandist of government policies, questioning why he wasn't instead scrutinizing the ‘irrational’ mandates.
“As a journalist, why aren't you instead exposing the stupidity of the vaccination mandates? You strike me as a pro-restriction, pro-lockdown, propagandist. Examine the policies for ONCE, instead of the ordinary man trying to survive in these hard times under these draconian rules,” Fatboy’s tweet read.
This was met by Canary’s reply in which he counter tweeted, “You clearly don't watch the news then.”
However, on The Fatboy Show, still on the same topic, Fatboy continued to question why the investigations were not exploring the reasons why people were evading the vaccination in the first place, and becoming desperate for the cards in wave of the mandates.
“People might have a number of reasons such as medical, religious, accessibility to the vaccines or reasons relating to being biased of the vaccines. I am not condoning the acquisition of fake vaccination cards but instead of doing an exposé leading to the arrest of ordinary people, why not expose something going on at the Ministry of Health and investigate the conflicts of interests in these public offices,” he probed.
Olive Najjuma, his Co-host, in addition said, “Why not do an exposé of the monies that have been received and spent? There’s an unanswered question of Dr. Monica Musenero and the progress of the vaccine they are making.
Exposing those selling certificates is alright but let those that squandered Covid funds be exposed first and then explain how it has trickled down to the lower personnel. Focusing on a cleaner or health worker is more like letting go of a minister who has embezzled billions of money and instead going after a person who steals a bicycle to get them convicted.”
Fatboy was also of the view that the same corrupt government officials would cease the report to excuse themselves from their wrong doings, blaming the journalist for why he wasn't making a report to benefit the ordinary Ugandan by making investigations on whether the mandates are necessary.
Olive noted that journalists are watchdogs accountable to society rather than people who attack those at the grassroot. She encouraged investigations into the applicability of such mandates for instance the directive that required bodaboda men to register their passengers during the 2020 lockdown, reasons for why it failed and why the sector is still the only one still under curfew.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, Sarah and Lesham every weekday from 6am to 10am on RX Radio.
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