Read all about it!

I have officially arrived in Uganda -- I made the gossip rag (but, unfortunately, it had nothing to do with me being caught with Susan Sarandon in a love nest, dammit!).

When I came into the office on early Wednesday morning, I did my usual: I read our paper and scanned the many others from that day, when "wham!" -- my photo -- an old photo, swiped from the internet, of me in a bow tie, of course -- came staring back at me!

It was in a daily (one of at least five here) called the Red Pepper, which occasionally breaks something, but most often is way off the mark because, well, they (I'm using the British form for collective nouns now, guys) just make up stuff. They published a story about good friend Marsha Walusimbi, who was the HR director here, saying that I had fired her!

Read all about it! (Click on image above).

Not only can I NOT fire the HR director, because she was not in the newsroom and didn't report to me, Joyce and I are mad (as in devastated) at her leaving. Marsha is our closest and best friend! She's smart, wonderful and engaging. We love her, and both Joyce and I were crushed that she was leaving.

And, even more, despite what the story alleges, I didn't bring my "panga" from Kansas to pop that "big balloon" -- and, dammit, wasted the whole damned day running around the newsroom looking for that danged balloon.

Kidding aside, it was hurtful to Marsha, who'd just moved into her new job across town. Hitting on me was OK; I can defend myself because I have a newspaper to do that. She doesn't; she was defenseless. And the Red Pepper folks are heartless and cruel (and I'll bet some even profess to be good Christians. Ha!)

In what is a rare event, I'm told, a correction (of sorts, because it, too, was filled with error and sloppy editing) was published two days later after our managing director (assisted by our attorneys, I think) wrote the folks at the Red Pepper to demand the correction. (Click on image below.)

Welcome to Uganda gossip journalism, Malcolm.

(However, I'm a bit miffed. The Red Pepper report only credited me with a panga, a relatively short machete-like weapon. In describing the U.S. ambassador [with whom Joyce and I visited them for drinks just two doors down from us on Kololo Hill Lane recently -- see Joyce's blog for a photo], he was credited with having a more potent "pistol." Guess the Red Pepper's been peeking in windows.)

Stupidity and inane silliness aside, which is what fills most of the Red Pepper, we continue to face the challenges of improving the journalism in our own newsroom. There's a lot of good being done (and by good people who care about doing it), but still too much falls woefully short. The commissioner who heads up the revenue division for the country took us to task over a story this week, and rightfully so, for the most part. It's biggest lack was the needed focus and background to put it in the proper perspective.

I am going to reiterate this week that we will be an active and aggressive watchdog, but many folks think that means being an attack dog. No, it means we'll watch carefully, do the stories that need to be done, present the facts, and do stories that are accurate, fair and in the proper perspective. Oh, and by treating people with respect and fairness, even when you don't like them or disagree. That's called professionalism.

At every turn I find two things, one encouraging and the other not: A lot of good people who want this paper to reach our stated goal of the most-respected media operation in Africa, and others who are too entrenched in how things have been done. They need to change, or the Red Pepper's first story about my panga, big or small, but potent, might come to be true -- out of necessity. But not yet. Stay tuned.

I have sped up the timetable to get this fixed because I'm getting tired, after these seven weeks, of getting a finger wagged at the news operation (which means me) by the managing director, Alex Asiimwe, for whom I have great respect (and sympathy, given the task facing us, exacerbated by a tough economic environment). We need to fix this now.

That said, because of all those skilled, talented and dedicated folks at the Monitor who desire the same as Alex and me, I remain optimistic, energized and determined.

We will make this work.

As for the Red Pepper, I'm hoping they'll promote me to a bazooka!

P.S.: As for the RP saying I don't have the authority to fire anyone. Wrong again, RP!