MONROVIA – It was quite a colorful, memorable day when President Joseph Boakai and his media team and cabinet officials sat with members of the Liberian media community, both veteran and practicing journalists. While other may have been consumed by the grandeur of the occasion, others were thinking differently: the occasion was not just about the dinning and winning, or about the size of number of journalists attending or the hugeness of media organizations registering their presence on the national landscape; it was also about the biting regulatory, socioeconomic and political environment in place, and how media practitioners were faring in real life. If no one else was thinking about the latter way at the event, it couldn’t be the ever-alert president of the Press Union of Liberia. Apparently, for him, it was a perfect moment to unravel the cloud of euphoria over the occasion and pull out stark issues that matter: telling President Boakai and his officials the skeletal state of the media landscape, as The Analyst reports.
Introduced to the platform to make remarks at the gathering of government officials, including President Joseph Boakai, and throngs of Liberian journalists, Mr. Julius Kanubah, president of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), said just a very few words in pleasantries and salutations before delving in to speak at length about the woes – challenges and impediments – attending the Liberian land media landscape, even under the current political establishment.
“Mr. President, permit us to draw your attention to a few issues confronting the media community in Liberia and the country in general,” he said forthrightly. “While we recognized that Liberia has made significant progress in respecting press freedom and free speech, the media remains severely challenged, both in terms of human and financial resources.
“Advertising revenues have significantly fallen, affecting the operations of media entities, the quality of journalism, and crucially the welfare and conditions of work of journalists and media workers, whose take home pay, if available, cannot take them home, in most instances.”
Kanubah said the existing advertisers such as the government, in addition to reducing the level of advertising, remain hugely in debt to media entities, thereby undermining the operational capability and viability of the media to sustain the costs of production.
He cited what he called the “near-total departure of USAID”, especially its media development interventions, which according to the PUL president, has created a very big vacuum, impacting the capacity building and institutional strengthening of the media across Liberia.
Kanubah expressed hope that the government could assume some of those shocks.
He continued: “Mr. President, Community Radio Stations—vital sources of information in our counties—are increasingly facing interference from some County Superintendents. This undermines their independence and jeopardizes their ability to serve our communities effectively. We urge your administration to protect these broadcasters and uphold their right to operate free from political interference or influence.”
He also spoke of the need to transform the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) into a true public service broadcaster is essential, calling on the LBS to epitomize accountability, serving not just the government’s interests but also the diverse voices of all Liberians. This shift is crucial for fostering an informed citizenry and enhancing democratic participation.
The PUL leader divulged his administration’s vision to restore and enhance the integrity and credibility of the institution of journalism and media but indicated to President Boakai that it “requires a concerted effort, working with your administration in upholding press freedom and free speech and expression”.
Kanubah also told the Liberian Chief Executive that “if there is anything your government must not compromise, it is the issue of the rule of law.”
He said: “Respect for and adherence to the rule of law is essentially critical to keeping the peace and enhancing the development of our country. Let’s respect the rule of law and let’s use the rule of law to fight corruption.”