By Our Staff Writer
MONROVIA: As the much-talked about 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections fast approach, it seems some unscrupulous politicians and their stooges have begun to design barefaced, shameless and blatant lies to stein the hard-won credibility, integrity and trust of the traditional media in Liberia aimed at confusing potential electorate in October, 2023, to make informed decisions.
According to the elections timetable recently released by the National Elections Commission (NEC), Liberia’s crucial and much-publicized Presidential and Legislative elections will be held in October, 2023.
Currently, there are several topnotch personalities widely believed to be the leading presidential hopefuls including incumbent President, George Manneh Weah; former Vice President, Joseph Nyuma Boakai; former corporate executive, Alexander Benedict Cummings; and renowned human rights lawyer, Cllr. Tiawon Saye Gongloe, among others.
Amid the ongoing preparations for said elections, it seems some unscrupulous politicians, along with their stooges, lackeys, and apologists have already started targeting the independent media in Liberia with ‘fake news,’ with ulterior political motives, and at the detriment of the independent press and freedom of expression.
A recent case in point relates to Liberia’s seventh (7th) oldest Newspaper, The ‘Investigative’ INDEPENDENT, when some criminal-minded individuals decided to insert a fake news item into the logo of the paper’s past edition: Vol. No. 62, Monday, May 30, 2022.
The banner headline on The INDEPENDENT Newspaper’s May 30, 2022 edition is totally different from the new headline that the unidentified crooks, charlatans, and fraudsters inserted into the logo: Captioned: “WE ELIMINATED THE FOUR AUDITORS BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19 FUNDING AUDITS,” with the photograph of the now US sanctioned and suspended Minister of State for President Affairs, Nathaniel Falo McGill, placed under the headline.
The fake headline was criminally and illegitimately published on social media including Facebook, on the same May 30, 2022, as our publication date.
However, the Publisher of The ‘Investigative’ INDEPENDENT Newspaper, Mr. Sam O. Dean, described the act as cowardly, irresponsible, and counterproductive to free press and freedom of expression.
Mr. Dean said the efforts by some heartless and greedy politicians to undermine the independent press has longed been captured by traditional media outlets who have stood the test of time from Liberia’s dark days when dictators and tyrants suffocated and asphyxiated the independent media in Liberia for personal aggrandizement, and at the expense of Liberia’s fledgling democracy.
The INDEPENDENT boss added that the paper has been giving equal access to all politicians, and others in the country and that the paper has no friends and foes.
Dean added that, the paper had never published any news story, with the headline captioned: “WE ELIMINATED THE FOUR AUDITORS BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19 FUNDING AUDITS,” with Minister McGill’s photograph placed on the front page of said publication.
Mr. Dean said the INDEPENDENT Newspaper has no friends and foes and always avails its news platform to all politicians, political parties, and independent candidates, pro-democracy and civil society groups, among many others since 2001.
Mr. Dean told a group of newsmen that this latest style of attack against traditional media outlets via such dirty politics which is fast creeping into Liberia’s infant democracy is frightening and has the propensity to grossly undercut press freedom and free expression in the Liberian nation.
According to the respected Liberian international investigative journalist and publisher, any draconian tactics to weaken the already economically susceptible local media is intended to steer unwarranted conflict aimed at undermining Liberia’s hard-won peace and democracy.
He has, meanwhile, called on the international community, World Association of News Publishers, Global Investigative Journalism Network, International Reporters, the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), Publishers Association of Liberia (PAL) and West African Journalists Association (WAJA), among others to thoroughly investigate such devilish syndicate aimed at undermining the trust and credibility of the traditional media in Liberia.
He emphasized that anything less than this has the potential to emasculate the work of the independent press in Liberia, and the crucial 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
