PHOTO: Liberia Supreme Court Chief Justice, Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh
By Peter Quaqua, former President of PUL & WAJA
Judges Must Endeavor to be More Transparent, Madam Chief Justice
Whether it is (legacy or social) media, there is no shortage of calls for regulation. Often, these calls are made by state actors, who themselves are wanting in their conduct and management of the state.
They ask for more regulation and tighter control of the media, as opposed to making any gesture to enable the sector.
In Liberia, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is quoted in the media as calling “on the national government and media union to put in place mechanisms that will regulate the use of social media across the country.” Admittedly, this is a running debate, and the views are as fluid as social media itself.
It is understood, the Liberian Chief Justice was speaking at the ongoing African Regional Group Meeting and International Conference of the International Association of Judges in Monrovia, under the theme, “The Judiciary in Contemporary Times: Dispensing Justice in the New Information Age.”
Madam Chief Justice, we are truly in contemporary times, therefore you and your colleagues will have to be progressive and conform to the reality of the times. It is exactly because we are in a new information age that judges must readjust and adapt to reality and stop being dogmatic.
In all its complexities, social media is here to stay. No amount of regulation can reverse the new world information dissemination order. Social media is simply a call for judges to be more transparent.
I must quickly submit though, that social media is the breeding ground for disinformation, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and harmful content, but any conversation about regulation has implications for free expression. And because of the global and impulsive nature of social media, regulation has been next to impossible and/or untenable.
Meanwhile, I should recognize the Chief Justice for adding her perspectives to the debate, but any contemplated regulation that infringes on free speech, is a non-starter.
Finding the right balance between regulation, freedom of expression and dispensing justice is always going to be a difficult task.