By George Sarwah Stewart
Politics never changes its true color despite where and who is involved. Journalists who should mirror the Liberian democracy are themselves driven into propaganda and personal attacks as elections for national leadership of the Press Union of Liberia is slated for this November this year.
The Incumbent Vice President, Daniel Nyakonah and Former Assistant Secretary General of the union, Julius Kanaba fight to succeed the current President Charles Coffey who is ending his second and last term. A huge constituent of the Press Union wants to see reform as of the sitting of a new leadership. There are claims and counterclaims that the union is either deteriorating in value or it is doing business as usual. Whatever the perspective, the rest is politics as always in elections.
Justly speaking, the Press Union of Liberia, the overarching covering of media workers and the media space in Liberia, should represent the change or the light that attracts its individual and institutional membership. The change the press needs in Liberia should come from its forehead, the indomitable Press Union of Liberia.
Voters’ expectation of such does not come with backbiting, seeking campaign financing from the national government or the opposition. The Latter is nothing but the continuous attempt to degrade and further undermine the integrity of the already political dominant press. The writing on the wall alleging pro and anti-government’s PUL campaign is dispiriting, especially at the eve of Liberia’s General and Presidential Elections.
George Sarwah Stewart, The Author
However, the real debate for the PUL elections should center on alternatives- breaking from the past or seeking closure to business as usual at the PUL. Already there are dark spots clouding the watchdog role of the press. A case in point is the disappearance in thin air, Liberian government’s donation of One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$100,000.00) decisively for the headquarters’ project of the Union. Today, the press cannot investigate itself of such broad day corruption but attempts to investigate government officials. “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye,” Matthew 7:5 in the Holy Bible.
Core roadmap issues that should be debatable electoral substance, for me, should include upgrading the digital sensitivity of the media in Liberia, strategizing on sustainable Media climate, redeeming the media from dominant political ownership and manipulation, instituting a trust fund for the safety and welfare of journalists in the frontline of high risked coverage and improving the institutional capacity of the union itself to understand the contemporary media development context of the world. Other smart reform agenda may come forth or may already exist, but the aforementioned could depict the dawn of a new and better day at the realm of Journalism in Liberia.
As journalists, we have the arduous responsibility to set issue driven agenda for the nation’s elections next October. We present ourselves serious and trustworthy if we center our PUL elections on issues that could improve the state of the media in three years.
As the world advances in Information Communication Technology, Journalism and all disciplines follow suit. Reform begins with the mind. Newspapers are now gravitating to online services, fast eroding hard copy sales. I wouldn’t be surprised in few years if Rodney Sieh’s FrontPage Africa Newspaper returns to its online publication solely. The inevitability of information communication technology and its growing audience in Liberia will certainly compel the Daily Observer Newspaper to only be read on smart phones, iPad, desktops and your laptops. We must follow the technology reality or leave the business. Candidates of the union should be suggesting a roadmap to this unbeatable technology era for the media community in these elections.
The Media Giant, Frank Sainworla few months ago discovered his audio report on Charles Taylor’s remarkable entry to Monrovia. How would he have ever seen a cassette tape recording done nearly 3 decades without the help of technology? Indeed, technology is irreversible and unescapable! If you want to lead the press in Liberia, a part of the global village, you need to have a technology ethos that makes Journalism to grow in content, in audience and in wealth.
In subsequent editions, we will pick on sustainable media development. Redeeming the media from political dominance and ownership, trust fund for high-risk journalists and institutional capacity development of the PUL itself.
Our candidates should address themselves to these critical matters, as they need most, viable alternative concepts that attract electorates who have suffered poor state of the media over a long period.