We are a niche publisher and platform. We are happy to identify ourselves as a platform that publishes on, does advocacy journalism about, and fosters public debate on issues that we consider the most important for our generation. Those issues are: Health, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Politics and Governance, Human Rights and Rule of Law and Technology. We are not, therefore, a soundbite, press conference, breaking news, and sensational news platform.

We are proud to craft our identity around sober, fair, balanced and robust public debate informed by in-depth watchdog journalism that values not only facts as they unfold through news events but distilled facts, facts with context, facts that influence public policy and debate, facts that give voice to the majority of the people.

It is for this reason, quite precisely, that we are specific in the areas that we cover, and how we cover them.  To that end, we value analysis, investigations, depth, data, and fact checking. That means telling stories differently. Vox Populi adopts an innovative approach to storytelling. We publish online through our website and social media platforms, share content with other media houses on the basis of publishing agreements and tell those stories using different approaches such as visualization, data and graphics, alternative media platforms like popular art.We package stories in ways that reach unique audiences uniquely because we take time to understand our audience. What we are doing different is to understand our society, its tastes and preferences in terms of information needs, news consumption habits and innovating around the packaging and delivery of news to that audience. Welcome, to this, our exciting journey.

1. We are neither pro or antigovernment nor pro or anti opposition but pro Uganda, pro Africa, pro humanity. Our fidelity and loyalty are to the rebirth, rejuvenation and sustenance of the fourth estate as an important pillar for democracy in Uganda.
2. We are not the advertisers’ or funders’ door mat and parrot. We appreciate the difficulty of the times in which we operate and the need for every coin that can support our operations, but our independence and credibility is more important. Money cannot buy credibility. We must painstakingly build and jealously protect our credibility and independence. If the price be our own death as a company, it is an ideal worth dying for. At least we shall have died trying, trying to do things anew and like the phoenix, perhaps we shall resurrect, after all. To this end, we have a watertight funding policy to insulate us from influences associated with funders and advertisers.
3. We are not attack dogs, lap dogs or guard dogs but watchdogs. Our conviction is that we must always hold the government to account on anything and everything, but we cannot be the opposition’s lap dogs or attack dogs. If we hold the government to account, we must hold those opposed to it to an even higher standard, scrutinize their alternatives and even expose the lack thereof. Equally, we cannot afford to be the funders’ or advertisers’ guard dog, protecting their interests as and when they feel threatened. We must, as a dutiful African hunting dog does, watch everybody, everywhere, every time while watching over our master, the reader, the public, the common good!
4. We are not an echo chamber for the most popular or dominant public opinion but a distillery of facts, issues discussed and debated analytically, with depth, level headedness, and respect for divergent views (of political, gender, sexual orientation, race and religious nature). We cannot therefore, in the interest of freedom of speech and expression, reduce our standard to the lowest common denominator. We seek to be different by raising (through professional and strict moderation), the quality of public debate in Uganda.
5. We set the agenda. We are persuaded that the media in Uganda, as evidenced through the coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic for instance, is ceding its agenda setting role to the state, corporate power and news makers generally. By staying away from everyday breaking news and the cacophony of online news sites competing for likes on Facebook and retweets on Twitter, ours is a well-considered choice to narrow our focus to health, climate change, democracy, rule of law and human rights. We are convinced that this gives us the legroom and breathing space to undertake groundbreaking journalism, research and deliver to the public well packaged stories and, in so doing, facilitate meaningful public debate and advocacy.
6. We are, therefore, not a straight jacket newsroom or news operation. We consider our journalistic place and role more important than the first-past-the-post approach to news reporting that is becoming commonplace in Uganda. We are happy to identify ourselves as watchdogs not afraid to wear an advocacy apron and pick on battles around issues we are most passionate about. That means occasionally, we may lodge a petition in the Constitutional Court to challenge a law that infringes on privacy or access to information and sometimes we may sue a corporate giant, acting in public interest and trust, to challenge an action that we are convinced violates the law. We aren’t, in so doing, trying to be all over the place and do everything. We are only seeking to do watchdog journalism differently by breathing life to the stories we do and taking them further by influencing public policy and debates on the issues raised therein, and, where need arises, explore legal remedies as per law established and the rights and freedoms envisaged in our constitution. We must confess inspiration from South Africa’s AmaBhungane Center for Investigative Journalism that has successfully used this approach. It is most relevant in the Ugandan context too.
7. We are neither radical nor conservative. We are simply the voice of reason and happy to be identified as moderate, ceaselessly skeptical and not pandering to the most popular worldviews but forever seeking new knowledge, learning and unlearning.
8. We are innovative, we think different, we approach journalism, public debate and the role of the press in society in an unalike manner. We value experiences from the old school approaches to the media, the normative theories and ideals of the media’s function in society and we recognize the emerging trends. We neither approve nor dismiss or attempt to rewind the wheel on any of the old or present trends. We only innovate around all these approaches, come up with tailor made solutions, alive to our context and circumstances.
9. We respect the right to privacy, the right to a good name and shall always desist from infringement of the privacy of individuals except to the extent that is legally permissible. Where we err, we shall be fast to tender a candid apology and make amends with the victim. Responsible, accurate, fair and balanced journalism is a cornerstone of our value system.
10. We are a hybrid business model. We adopt a philanthro-journalism approach but integrate aspects of the commercial media model not as the vanguard of our existence but as a carefully crafted sustainability mechanism.