MONROVIA – The second Presidential Media Dinner became a platform for Liberia’s press leaders to move beyond ceremony and place concrete demands before President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. Union executives described an industry weakened by unreliable power, aging equipment, shrinking advertising and limited professional training. They called for a media governance law, completion of the Press Union headquarters and transparent public-interest financing protected from political control. Female journalists also challenged declining Cabinet representation and unequal access to presidential assignments. Publishers warned that news organizations are struggling to survive, even as digital disruption increases public dependence on credible reporting. The appeals now require more than warm relations. Boakai must convert dialogue into legislation, fair access and sustainable independent support. THE ANALYST reports.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai last week Saturday, September 12, 2026, hosted a second presidential dinner, the second of its kind since his ascendency for members of Liberia’s press architecture where the media fraternity had an opportunity to send a direct appeal to the Liberian leader, urging swift executive action to address financial collapse, media governance, and gender disparities across public policy.
The occasion was organized by the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs and the Ministry of Information at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo Town on September 12, 2026 which was attended by top media executives, heads of media institutions, veterans in the industry as well as other personalities While intended as an evening of partnership and networking, media executives seized the platform to present an exhaustive list of economic and legislative demands to the Chief Executive.
PUL Presses for Governance Act and Headquarters Support
Julius Kanubah, President of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), opened the floor on behalf of reporters, editors, publishers, and community radio broadcasters across the 15 counties. Recognizing Liberia’s historical gains—such as the Freedom of Information Act and the Kamara Abdullai Kamara Act of Press Freedom—Kanubah emphasized that “these achievements must be protected and strengthened.”
However, he expressed disappointment over the lack of structural progress since the inaugural presidential dinner in April 2025. “More than a year later, Excellency, we are yet to see significant progress toward comprehensive ELBC reform, structured support for community radio, improved working conditions for journalists, or a national framework for media sustainability,” Kanubah told the gathering.
He detailed severe operational struggles nationwide, citing unreliable electricity, outdated equipment, shrinking advertising revenue, high operational costs, and limited training. To solve these systemic bottlenecks, the PUL President formally proposed the passage of a Liberia Media Governance and Sustainability Act.
“The PUL stands ready to collaborate with your administration, because credible journalism remains the lifeblood and oxygen of democracy,” Kanubah declared. Reflecting on presidential legacies, Kanubah pointed to the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration’s US$100,000 contribution to the PUL headquarters project, describing it as “a blessing that unfortunately turned into a curse for our Union” due to persistent mismanagement issues.
He also acknowledged President George Weah’s contribution of a headquarters building for the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL). Directly challenging the President, Kanubah asked: “Excellency, the question is: What will be the media legacy of the Joseph Nyuma Boakai administration?”
He urged President Boakai to support the completion of the permanent PUL Headquarters on land acquired in 1997, framing it as a “national home for press freedom, professional development, ethical journalism, and the protection of journalists.”
FeJAL Challenges President on Cabinet Numbers and Media Access Madam Lisa Tenneh Diasay, President of the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL), centered her address on President Boakai’s signature policy platform, the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development.
“Those last three words are the ones the women in this room read first,” Diasay noted. Diasay raised alarm over recent cabinet reassignments, pointing out that female cabinet representation dropped from nine to seven seats earlier in the month following the departures of the Ministers of National Defense and Commerce. “Inclusion is not a sentiment. It is a count,” Diasay asserted. “When a woman leaves that table, a girl in Grand Bassa loses a picture of what she is permitted to become.”
She urged the President to ensure the reassignments keep both women in influential policy roles, recommending that “the next shortlist reach your desk with women already on it rather than added to it afterward.”
Turning to media access, Diasay criticized the ongoing exclusion of female journalists from major newsrooms and presidential assignments. “The women of this press and or the media are not missing from the profession,” she emphasized. “We are missing from the rooms where the questions get asked and the answers get given.” To help journalists report from rural Liberia rather than rely solely on Monrovia-based press releases, Diasay urged the government to slash tariffs on broadcast and communications gear.
“Take the duty off broadcast and internet equipment, and give the county bureaus a connection that works, and you will have reporters living where the roads, the clinics and the classrooms are actually being built,” Diasay urged. She concluded by proposing an independent, transparently managed Public Interest Journalism Fund to shield media houses from political interference and counter shrinking donor support.
“An Independent Public Interest Journalism Fund is the way. With the shrinking donor support declining, government and the media sector should begin discussions on establishing an independent, transparently managed fund to support public-interest journalism. The fund must be protected from political interference. “This way, we will be on the path for sustainability and building a strong media ecosystem to support growth and development in Liberia”, She concluded.
Publishers Association and Broadcast Leaders Warn of Collapse
Echoing the concerns of newsroom managers, Alphonso Tweh, President of the Publishers Association of Liberia (PAL), presented a grim assessment of print and broadcast stability. “The media is dying, I must say the fact. We are struggling,” Tweh stated bluntly.
“Every day, every newspaper, every radio station we have to come on the air, we have to publish, but where do we have the finances from?” Tweh called for strategic state-backed support, reassuring the President that economic aid would not compromise editorial independence. “That does not mean that you are buying the media, no, Mr. President,” Tweh clarified.
“It means that you are promoting a working relationship to ensure that our democracy under your administration is entrenched for the overall development of the country.”
Closing the interventions, Aaron B. Kollie, CEO of Punch TV, commended the executive branch for hosting the event, calling it “a clear testimony and affirmation of your government’s recognition of the pivotal role of the media.”
Kollie pointed out that traditional news organizations face compounding pressure from digital disruption and social media, but pledged that mainstream outlets would remain steadfast in upholding ethical standards.
He further urged President Boakai to maintain an uncompromising stance against corruption and drug-related crimes across all sectors. “You said that there will be no sacred cow against the fight against drugs, and we think there are some sacred cows across the fence who need to be brought out and legally slaughtered,” Kollie concluded.
The Second Annual Presidential Media Dinner ended with media executives expressing hope that the executive branch will act on their legislative, tax, and infrastructure proposals in the coming months.