The Department of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University will host the 25th Annual Media Convention (AMC 2025) on 8th October 2025 at the Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility Auditorium. Since its inception, the Annual Media Convention has served as a flagship forum for engaging with emerging trends, challenges, and innovations in media, journalism, and communication in Uganda and beyond.
The convention serves not only as an academic gathering, but as a national think-tank and a place to forge shared commitments, inspire new thinking, and mobilize collective action to strengthen democratic values through credible journalism and communication.
This year’s convention, held under the theme ‘Responsible Communication and Media Reporting During Ugandan Elections,’ seeks to reflect on the vital role of the media and communication professionals in supporting democratic processes through accurate, ethical, and inclusive reporting. The convention comes at a critical time as Uganda prepares for its general elections, a moment that demands media professionalism, digital resilience, and public trust.
Participants at the AMC will engage in discussions on various topics, including media freedom; responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in election reporting; objectivity and bias in election reporting; ethical dilemmas in covering candidates and political parties; the growing influence of social media and digital influencers in electoral discourse; media literacy and the informed voter; and safety of journalists during electoral coverage.
It is also important to recognize that elections are not only about political reporting but also the broader communication challenges that cut across the media landscape. Issues such as disinformation, propaganda, the use of emerging technologies like chatbots, and questions of communication regulation remain central to how elections are covered and understood. The convention will reflect on these dimensions for communication professionals for a richer and all-inclusive conversation.
The convention will bring together students, practitioners, scholars, policy makers, regulators, civil society, researchers, and other stakeholders in the field of media, journalism and communication.