Uganda’s digital news sector is expanding at a remarkable pace, but it remains fragile, unevenly regulated, and can be easily manipulated, a new report by the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) warns.
The State of Uganda’s Media Landscape 2024–2025 report, which focuses on digital news and elections, says the country now has more than 300 active online news platforms and describes the space as “vibrant, youthful and indispensable,” yet struggling with “resources, revenue and trust.”
The 36-page report notes that “digital platforms now dominate attention, especially among the youth,” with many Ugandans relying on online sources for stories that may not appear in traditional media.
But the same platforms remain at risk of political interference and technological disruption, the report says.
ACME draws direct parallels with the internet shutdowns during the 2016 and 2021 elections, describing them as “a systematic vulnerability that can instantly disable digital publishing.”
Several digital news platform owners told the researchers that they fear such disruptions could happen again in 2026, particularly as online platforms play an increasingly central role in campaigns and public debate.
The report also documents how political actors, security-linked platforms, and partisan publishers increasingly shape online narratives, especially during election periods. One respondent said some platforms “have made a business out of misinformation and disinformation,” a trend ACME says risks distorting public opinion and drowning out independent journalism.
The report warns that in an environment where misinformation can be paid for, “election seasons attract actors who pay to seed or amplify misleading information,” creating incentives for outlets to push false or biased content.
Despite the challenges, the digital news platform continues to mushroom, and the majority are heavily concentrated around Kampala.
Yet the study describes many of these operations as extremely small, often built around a single owner and a shifting team of freelancers. The report highlights one typical structure: “an owner, an accountant, an administrator, a webmaster, and a rotating cast of contributors.”
This low-cost model has allowed rapid expansion but has also limited journalistic depth. Many reporters publish quick event-based stories rather than explanatory or investigative work because they lack resources. Several platforms republish content from other sites, sometimes without attribution.
The report says one news website owner opened a digital site because traditional broadcast bulletins only allowed “short sound bites,” and online publishing gave him the freedom to tell fuller stories. But many others admitted that profit was the primary motivation, even though, as the report points out, “most platforms do not make money.”
Financial instability is one of the strongest themes in the study. ACME reports that most platforms rely almost entirely on the personal income of their owners, and advertising is scarce and unpredictable. Even major legacy outlets face similar challenges.
According to the report, Daily Monitor and New Vision still earn more than 50% of their revenue from print products, while “digital revenues contribute only two percent.”
The report also highlights the growing problem of unlabelled advertising and paid-for political content, otherwise known as native advertising. ACME warns that the increasing use of native advertising and sponsored posts that masquerade as journalism “erodes trust” and misleads readers.
“This blurring of editorial and commercial work has become widespread, particularly on platforms with little financial stability,” the report notes.
Poor regulation
Regulation of the news platforms remains another major concern, according to the report. Although the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) requires online sites to register, ACME found that only 74 had done so by 2023, far below the 301 identified.
The report describes the regulatory environment as “laissez-faire,” with inconsistent enforcement that leaves both the public and publishers unprotected. Many platform owners admitted they did not fully understand the laws that govern their operations.
Technological fragility compounds the problem. The report says many platforms run on cheap hosting and basic WordPress templates, leading to frequent downtime and cyber vulnerabilities.
Compared with ACME’s 2021 review, the latest report highlights both progress and deterioration.
In 2021, the industry was recovering from Covid-19 disruptions, and digital growth was still modest. Today, ACME describes “explosive growth” in the number of platforms, but warns that the expansion has not been matched by sustainable revenue or improved professional standards.
The report makes several recommendations ahead of the 2026 elections. It urges platforms to diversify revenue beyond seasonal advertising, calls for a clear separation between editorial and commercial content, and asks the government to protect digital rights by avoiding broad disruptions to internet access.
It also proposes the creation of a joint election information working group bringing together regulators, media associations, and telecom companies.
“The future of online news platforms will depend on their ability to come up with resilient revenue-generating models,” the report notes.
