About Me

Dr. Brian Semujju teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate students at Makerere University in the Department of Journalism and Communication. In addition, Brian was the Editor of the African Journal of Communication (2015-2020), a journal published by the East African Communication Association. Brian has reviewed articles for the Journal of African Media Studies, Journal of Community Informatics, and Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems. He sits on the editorial board of the International Journal of Communication, while his own publications have appeared in journals including: Feminist Media Studies, International Communication Gazette, Communication Theory, Journal of African Media Studies, Journal of Alternative and Community Media, etc, on top of several book chapters. He is the recipient of the 2015 Best Student Presentation medal of the World Conference on Media and Mass Communication. His academic focus is on Communication Theory. His research projects currently focus on Communicating Science and Digital literacy.

Dr. Semujju’s Research Grants in 2020

GRANT 1: Using Video Jockeys (VJs) To Promote Public Engagement and Awareness of Makerere University Science.

Project Summary

The project seeks to communicate science to the rest of Uganda by interpreting Makerere University science discoveries using TV documentaries, translated in local languages (Acholi, Runyankore, Ateso, Lugbara, and Luganda). We are using some of the most popular VJs in each region.

Project Team:

Dr. Brian Semujju (Principal Investigator)

Prof. Sr. Dominica Dipio (co-PI)

Mr. Michael Balaba (Media Practitioner)

Mr. Jim Khauka (MA student)

Miss Patience Ndinawe (Media practitioner)

Funded by the Government of Uganda through Makerere University’s Research and Innovations Fund

GRANT 2: Evaluating digital literacy to create a policy for digital media use at Makerere University.

Summary of the project

The project attempts to understand the nature and distribution of digital literacy in terms of gender and courses in all the sampled colleges, and the major challenges hindering digital literacy at Makerere University. The focus is specifically on: digital awareness, digital access, digital ethics awareness, digital content creation, and digital content evaluation. The study is being done at Makerere University using a selected sample of both students and staff in colleges.

Project Team

Dr. Brian Semujju (Principal Investigator)

Prof. Paul Muyinda Birevu (Mentor)

Mr. Harold Memory (MA Student)

Funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York through Makerere University’s Directorate of Research and Graduate Training.

GRANT 3: Digital Literacy in East Africa: A three country comparative study

Project Summary

The study consists of a cross-national survey conducted in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya, focusing on demographics, audience trust in various media platforms and media literacy/digital content evaluation via measures testing respondents’ believability of true and false social media posts.

Project Team:

Dr. Brian Semujju (Makerere University)

Dr. Kioko Ireri (United States International University-Africa)

Mr. Emmanuel Munyarukumbuzi (University of Rwanda)

Dr. Meghan Sobel Cohen (Regis University; Dr. Cohen is the Principal Investigator of the Project).

Dr. Karen McIntyre (Virginia Commonwealth University)

Funded by Facebook

Publications:

-Semujju, B. (2020). Theorising Dependency Relations in Small Media. Communication Theory. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtz032

-Nakiwala, A. & Semujju, B. (2019). Feminist Power and its Implications on Uganda’s Malaria Communication Campaign.  Feminist Media Studies, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 443 - 457

-Semujju, B. (2018). Newsmaking Practices in Uganda: A Comparative Framing Analysis of two Leading Newspapers. In H. M. Mabweazara (ed.), Newsmaking Cultures in Africa: Normative Trends in the Dynamics of Socio-Political & Economic Struggles. Palgrave Macmillan.

-Semujju, B. (2017). The Structure of News in Community Audio Towers. Journal of Africa Media Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 375- 388

-Semujju, B. (2017). Digital Media in Uganda: Where Regulation and Freedom of Expression Contradictions are Sharpest. In N. A Mhiripiri & T. Chari (eds). Media Law, Ethics, and Policy in the Digital Age. IGI-Global Publishing, Hershey, PA. 

-Semujju, B. (2016). ICT as an engine for community participation: An assessment of Uganda’s community media. In, H. Rahman (ed.), Human Development and Interaction in the Age of Ubiquitous Technology, IGI-Global.

-Nassanga, G. and Semujju, B. (2015). Mobile Phones Influence on Journalism Practice in Africa. In, Y. Zheng, Encyclopedia of Mobile Phone Behavior (pp.1089 – 1102). IGI-Global Publishing, Hershey, PA.

-Semujju, B. (2016). Introducing Community Audio Towers as an alternative to Community Radio in Uganda. Journal of Alternative and Community Media, vol 1, no. 1, 141 - 153

-Semujju, B. (2016). Community Audio Towers in Uganda. Journal of Community, Citizen’s and Third Sector Media, vol 8, no. 5, pp. 40 - 50

-Semujju, B. (2014). Participatory media for a non-participating community: Western media for Southern communities. International Communication Gazette, vol. 76, no. 2, pp. 197–208.

-Semujju, B. (2014). Frontline Farmers, Backline Sources: Women as a Tertiary Voice in Climate Change Coverage. Feminist Media Studies, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 1 - 17

-Semujju, B. (2014). ICT as an engine for community participation: An assessment of Uganda’s community media (Chapter 40). In Information Resources Management Association (Ed.), Digital Arts and Entertainment: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 839-854), IGI-Global Publishing, Hershey, PA.

-Semujju, B. (2013). Climate change in Ugandan Media: A “global warming” of Journalism Ethics. Journal of African Media Studies, vol. 3, no.3, pp. 337–352.

-Semujju, B. (2013). ICT as an engine for community participation: An assessment of Uganda’s community media. International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human Development, vol. 5, no 1, pp 20 – 36.