MONROVIA: The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) has released its Alert Report for the month of January on activities of journalists in the aftermath of the 2020 Special Senatorial Election.
The report covers the period December 18, 2020 to January 31, 2021; it is the final in a series of alert reports to be published for the period under review.
A PUL press release issued in Monrovia said, the Media Alert Reports (MAR) are characterized by the death, threats, attack and intimidation of Liberian journalists by state actors, supporters of politicians and unknown men.
The Alert Reports also highlight other major issues, including critical analyses of the trend being taken by Liberia’s media environment, taking into consideration the nature of space being offered by state actors for the media to function.
The current Alert Report of the Press Union of Liberia/Media Alert Office shares light on attacks, threats, lawsuit and intimidation of the media by individuals in the public and private sectors.
This Report contains two attacks on Journalist Henry Gboluma of Voice of Gbarpolu Radio allegedly by some supporters of Independent Candidate Madam Botoe Kanneh.
According to the PUL, Journalist Julius Konton, Secretary General of the Sports Writers Association of Liberia (SWAL) and CEO of Fortune TV, an Online TV, was attacked, pushed and slapped by an Officer of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of the Liberia National Police (LNP Badge Number 2132), while covering the National County Sports Meet quarter final on Sunday, January 24, 2021, at Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
The Press Union of Liberia Alert Report also captured the propagandistic warfare between radio stations owned by two rival politicians from Bomi County- Edwin M. Snow and Alex G. Tyler. Puma FM and Trust FM rained invectives on live radio during the election and after on their respective prime time shows.
The report also contains a Liberian Government threat against the D-15 Radio as well as one lawsuit against Journalist Obe Smith of Radio Gbarnga by Stephen Mulbah, Chairman of the Project Management Committee (PMC) of Bong County.
The Alert Office was set up in 2017 by the PUL, in collaboration with Internews/USIAD, as part of its Media Development Program.
Meanwhile, the Press Union of Liberia has called on the journalism community to help publicize these Alert reports as these publications hold a lot to the future of the Media in Liberia, relative to exposing any unfavorable cloud that may be hanging over us as journalists.
