Press Freedom Isn’t Freedom from Responsibility -Gongloe Tells Journalists, Implores Them Make Use of Digital Tools

MONROVIA – When the debate regarding which contemporary Liberian lawyers has suffered more bruises and sanctions for standing for the country’s journalists, media freedom and free speech, a few would be listed, and that list cannot be complete without mention of Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe. His passion to fight for disadvantaged people and human freedoms is tested and proven, particularly during the country’s war years. During this year’s World Press Freedom Day, he was invited by the Press Union of Liberia to serve as the keynote speaker at which time he not only reflected on the country’s struggle for press freedom, and the need for media practitioners to espouse innovation, but also cautioned journalists about the fact that freedom of the press is not freedom from responsibility. The Analyst reports.    

Human rights lawyer Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe has called on Liberia’s journalist to practice their vocation with distinction, realizing that “freedom of the press is not freedom from responsibility”.

Speaking as the keynote speaker at celebration marking this year’s the World Press Freedom Day, the Liberian jurist said even in the United States, which is regarded the forebear of human freedom, “we’ve seen how some major media outlets were sued by then former President Donald Trump for defamation”.

“While many of those cases were dismissed, a few led to settlements, corrections, and retractions—after it was shown that facts were misrepresented or recklessly reported,” he said.

He said, “What Liberian journalists must learn from this example is what happens when journalists get it wrong—when headlines are based on rumors rather than facts. When journalists engage in false reporting, the press risks loss of public trust. And without public trust, press freedom could crumble.”

He also used the moment to admonish Liberian media to begin training journalists in AI and digital tools, not just to compete, but to lead in investigative reporting.

“That is the spirit with which I speak on today on the sub-theme “Sustaining Independent Journalism and Press Freedom in the Digital Age” which was carved from the global theme:Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media.”

He spoke about what he called the bright and dark sides to artificial intelligence on press freedom in order as a way of arousing the interest of journalists fully appreciate the prospects and challenges of this era of AI.

Regarding “bright side”, the assistant professor of law at the University of Liberia, recalled that in 2016, the Panama Papers shook the world, when over 11 million leaked documents exposed how world leaders and business elites were hiding wealth in offshore tax havens.

He said such a feat was achieved due only because investigative journalists used AI-powered tools and data-mining software to process the massive leak.

“Let’s look at an African case,” he also recounted. “Not long ago, BBC Africa Eye used metadata analysis, facial recognition, and hidden cameras to uncover the Sex for Grades scandal in Nigerian and Ghanaian universities. That report led to investigations, suspensions, and policy reform. Digital tools exposed injustice where silence had once prevailed.”

He expressed the wish that Liberian journalists were using similar tools to trace how public funds meant for clinics in Grand Kru or schools in Bong mysteriously vanish.

“That’s the power of AI when used in the public interest,” he said. “In Liberia, AI could be used as tool to help journalists dig deeper, work smarter, and hold individuals and institutions accountable—without fear or favor.”

Commenting about the “the dark side” of digital media, Cllr Gongloe said that is when technology becomes dangerous, citing the Myanmar example where “Facebook’s algorithms—powered by artificial intelligence—amplified hate speech and fake news targeting the Rohingya minority.”

He said this digital disinformation fueled ethnic violence that resulted in mass displacement and atrocities the UN later called genocide.

In Liberia, he stressed, “if we don’t control how hate speech and fake news spread through our own media platforms, we risk lighting fires we cannot put out.”

He also referenced the war between Russia and Ukraine, where AI-generated deep fakes—like a fake video of President Zelenskyy announcing surrender—go viral, such false realities crafted by machines, designed to manipulate hearts, minds, and headlines.

Gongloe said the lesson that Liberian journalists must learn from these examples is that when elections are approaching journalists should be vigilant, warning, “One fake video could inflame ethnic tensions or destabilize a peaceful process”.

He called on journalists to establish ethical standards for technology use in the media, ensuring truth remains the highest goal, and uphold self-regulation, not self-destruction.

Journalists, he said, must police themselves with integrity before others are forced to do so.

“On World Freedom Day, 2025, I call on all Liberian journalists in Liberia and around the world, to recommit themselves to the kind of journalism that promotes peace, understanding, national unity, progress and prosperity, not the journalism that promotes hate and division,” he asserted further, adding; “Journalism must be used to bring light to corruption, not confusion to the people. Journalism must be used to help in promoting the building of clinics, classrooms, and trust—not fear, hatred, and doubt.”

He also made it clear that press freedom is not a gift from government; nor is it the privilege of journalists. “It is the right of the people to know the truth as guaranteed by article 15c of the Constitution of Liberia, to question authority, and to shape the future of Liberia.”

The human rights advocate said when exercised responsibly, journalism becomes one of the more powerful and effective instruments of national transformation.

Reflecting on the Struggle

Cllr. Gongloe recalled that over the past thirty-six years, he has stood with journalists and media institutions—defending them at police stations, in courtrooms, at the Ministry of Justice, and through his writings and public advocacy.

He reflected: “I have experienced, both personally and professionally, what it means to fight for the right to speak truth in the face of power. In that journey, I have not only been a lawyer for the press—I have at times been a witness, a participant, and yes, a victim in the defense of this sacred right.”

He continued: “But I believe that freedom of the press is not a weapon—it is a tool. And it must be wielded with responsibility, not recklessness. That is why, during my tenure as Solicitor General of Liberia in 2009, I made a conscious decision not to use Liberia’s anti-speech laws—sedition, criminal malevolence, and criminal libel against the President—to silence journalists. Instead, I drafted the legislation that would later become the Kamara A. Kamara Act of Press Freedom, repealing those oppressive laws. I submitted that draft to the President of Liberia, with a copy to the then-Secretary General of the Press Union of Liberia, Mr. Peter Quaqua.

“That act was not just a legal reform—it was a principled stand. A stand for a Liberia where the press is free to challenge authority, but also called to a higher duty: to inform, to unite, to elevate.”

He said: “Let me be clear: I do not wish to associate myself with mercenary journalism—the kind that sells headlines for personal gain, spreads lies that divide families, and stirs hatred instead of hope. I want to stand with a press that contributes to the building of Liberia—a press that helps bring better education, health care, food sufficiency, infrastructure, electricity, and telecommunications.”