Towards 2023 Polls: The Media Must Uphold Integrity

In 2022, the role of the media came under intense spotlight in Kenya when residents of several parts of the East African State expressed anger relative to what they characterized as fake news reports, which they claimed, were being broadcast by several media houses concerning the recent Kenyan Presidential Election results.

While out filming in one Kenyan town at the time, an angry crowd approached a team of BBC reporters and demanded to know which TV station the reporters were working for.

“They however calmed down after we explained to them we were from the BBC,” a member of the BBC team added.

“There are TV stations that we don’t want here, because of fake news,” one of the men in the group told a member of the BBC Team.

According to the BBC, leading media houses were broadcasting differing results following said elections, a move for which the Media Council of Kenya expressed concern that differing tallies were “causing anxiety and uneasiness among Kenyans.”

Beyond Kenya, and fast forward, in 2023, Liberia’s independent media faced similar gargantuan challenge in reporting the outcome of the recent Lofa County Senatorial by-elections.

The works of the independent media relative to the Lofa County Senatorial by-election were almost overshadowed by multiple unverified posts from various social media outlets, political party leaders and their foot soldiers, among others, effectively suggesting different poll results for various candidates.

Even the results for candidates as announced by the National Elections Commission (NEC), which has the statutory mandate and responsibility to conduct elections and subsequently announce national election results encountered somewhat challenges by some political parties and candidates.

Interestingly, however, none of the purported challengers of the Lofa Senatorial by-election poll outcomes took whatever grievances they may have had to any court for the necessary investigation aimed at establishing either the credibility and/ or baselessness of their claims of electoral irregularities and frauds.

Although the Lofa by-election was rated by the international community and local civil society and prodemocracy advocacy groups, as being generally free, fair and peaceful, it effectively generated an atmosphere of disunity, mistrust, distrust, suspicion, cynicism, and bitterness between and among some stakeholders, to the extent that some of the declared losers are yet to accept the poll outcome, as officially announced by NEC and to subsequently congratulate the declared winner.

This is why, we, at THE INDEPENDENT, are calling on the Liberian media to roll up their sleeves in the execution of their professional duties without any fear or favor, friend or foe, as the country gradually moves toward the crucial 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections.

Frankly, the performance of the media in Liberia and others in the West African sub-region will either strengthen their trust and integrity or erode same as some media outfits were perceived by angry electorate during the recent Presidential and Parliamentarian elections in Kenya in 2022.

2023 is a crucial year for not only Liberia, but other countries in the West African Sub-region as they prepare for their respective presidential and legislative (Parliamentarian) elections.

For instance, in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, there will be presidential elections in 2023 although the incumbent leader of that country may not participate; In Ghana, there will also be presidential and legislative elections with incumbent President’s name not being placed on the ballot papers.

On the other hand, in Liberia, there will be presidential and legislative elections with incumbent president set to participate in line with the country’s constitution; while in Sierra Leone, there will be presidential and parliamentary elections with incumbent leader set to participate.

In other words, reporting on these crucial elections by the media whether in Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria or Sierra Leone requires high degree of integrity, credibility and trust.

This is why, we, at THE INDEPENDENT, are challenging our media colleagues in Liberia and the West Africa sub-region to live up to the professional expectations of electorate, and ECOWAS community citizens, whether rain or shine.

We also want to caution the umbrella organizations of journalists and media institutions including the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), West African Journalists Association (WAJA), among others, to drastically discourage what appears to be ‘Partisan Journalism’ that it raising its ugly heads on the Liberian and regional media landscape, and concomitantly eroding the hard-earned integrity, credibility and trust of the independent press.

Indeed, the independent press has come a long way in protecting the media landscape over the years, even with sweat, blood and tears, but as power-thirsty politicians are now been on infiltrating the independent media by establishing media houses and outlets, the independent press, including PUL, WAJA, among others, need to double up in upholding the hard-earned professional integrity and public trust in the independent media.

Frankly, and without any molecule of exaggeration, the West African region is fragile with brazen acts of insecurity, bad governance and corruption including money laundering, terrorist financing, among others which have led to military coups, political tension, religious fundamentalism, and bloody violence, as such the press must work overtime to calm the storm that is blowing in the West African region, yield Liberia. This is our plea, folks.