By: Varney Dukuly
PARIS/MONROVIA: Paris-based Reporters Without Borders or Reporters San Frontier (RSF) has released its 2022 World Press Freedom Index.
Accordingly, the Index ranked the West African nation of Liberia, headed by football legend, George Manneh Weah, as President, at position 75 among 180 countries.
The RSF report covers many thematic areas as determinant that subsequently led to Liberia’s score on the Press Freedom Index.
“With more than 40 newspapers and magazines, some 130 radio stations, several television networks and a significant number of online publications, the Liberian media sector has enjoyed boom times for the past 20 years, amid the socio-political stability created by the end of the 1999-2003 civil war. Radio remains the major news source,” the Report said.
The report added that in Liberia, many politicians have taken advantage of a law that facilitates the creation of media companies, leading proliferation of media outlets.
According to the Index, the political context has also strengthened politicians’ power to influence the media content.
“The government continues to exert control over state-owned media, while local officials often control the content and operations of community radio stations,” the RSF 2022 report indicated.
In terms of the legal environment, the Liberian media, the report says, have seen notable improvement in recent years.
Among other things, a 2018 press law eliminated the crimes of defamation of the Head of State and sedition. The Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, of the press and information.
“A law on access to information has been adopted,” the report said, “a national media council, created in 2016 by the Press Union of Liberia, the Journalists’ trade union, allows press organizations to self-regulate by way of code of conduct.”
But disappointingly, the Economic outlook for the Media in Liberia remains difficult, with a very tight advertising market.
“Media critical of the authorities’ get no access to advertising by the big state-owned companies, the contract for which are handled by the Ministry of Information,” the report stated.
Interestingly, the 2022 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index highlighted that Liberian Journalists are among the country’s worst paid professionals.
“News sites are often forced to run public relations pieces in exchange for financial support, a practice that compromises media independence,” added the report.
Touching on the social cultural context, some topics according to report, are still considered off-limits in the media, especially female genital mutilation and matters involving freemasonry.
The report: “Journalists who take on these subjects suffer threats, so self-censorship is fairly widespread.”
Ahead of the 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections in the country, the safety of journalists remain a paramount concern to many including Reporters Without Borders.
As it stands, law enforcement agencies constitute the major source of security problems for Liberian Journalists.
The latest report recounted that in 2021, officers committed series of attacks on Journalists with complete impunity.
“In June and July alone, at least five journalists were victims of arbitrary arrests while doing their jobs, of physical attacks or of death threats,” the report maintained.