Says Despite Challenges, PUL Is Poised To “Move Ahead”
PHOTO: Julius Kanubah, President of PUL
In his address marking the Press Union of Liberia’s 61st anniversary, PUL President Julius Kanbah has said the Liberian media is poised to move ahead in unity despite previous challenges, but warned the Boakai government not to repeat past mistakes of predecessors by abusing press freedom and free speech.
Speaking on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at an anniversary ceremony held at the Sinkor Christian Assembly Chuch on 9th Street in Monrovia, Mr. Kanubah said the state of the Journalists Union is “stable and strong” but all is not well with state of press freedom” in Liberia since the current government took office nearly two years ago.
“The recent incident involving journalist Franklin Doloquee and the Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Jerolinmek Piah, is an example of how, if left at the mercy of the powerful, press freedom can be abused – even if, a journalist crosses the boundaries of the straight-forward means to obtain information,” the PUL President noted.
SEE BELOW THE FULL TEXT OF MR. KANUBAH’S ADDRESS BELOW:
Protocol:
The Resident Representative of the Office of the ECOWAS Commission to Liberia
Her Excellency Ambassador Josephine Nkrumah
The Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism
The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications
The Independent Information Commission
The Office for the Establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia
The Representation of the Kingdom of Morocco to Liberia
Our Fellow Dignitaries
Senior Media Leaders
Veterans
Our Energetic Media Colleagues
And Comrade Leaders.
Introduction
PUL is stable and strong
About a year ago, we stood before you and other dignitaries, right hands up, and with eloquent voices to take the solemn oath of office to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution and By-Laws of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL).
About 365 days after that eventful inauguration, we are proud to declare that throughout our 12 months of service in the PUL leadership, we have remained committed to the fundamental core objectives of our Union.
It is in this spirit that I stand before you today on the occasion of the 61st anniversary celebrations of our Union to proudly state that the Press Union of Liberia is stable, strong, serious, and scrupulously engaged in ably representing the rights of journalists, media organizations, and the public interest.
We owe this success of institutional resilience not to ourselves but to the foresight and fortitude of men and women who championed the formation and perpetual existence of the Press Union of Liberia since 30 September 1964.
Colleagues, Happy Press Union Day!
Honoring a collective legacy, pushing forward after dispute
In honor of their collective legacy, I would like to ask your indulgence to please stand and join me as we observe a moment of silence for our founding fathers, leaders and members who have answered the call of the supernatural. May their souls and the souls of all faithful departed rest in peace and may light perpetual continue to shine on them. Thank you. Please have your seat.
Colleagues, the celebrations today of the 61st anniversary of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) mark a significant milestone in the history and institutional evolution of our Union.
It is testament to the fact that in Liberia, Africa, and the world over, the Press Union of Liberia is the sole and supreme organization of professional journalists and media institutions in Liberia. It grew out of and in fulfilment of both the 1847 and 1986 Constitutions of Liberia.
The Press Union of Liberia, it must be emphasized, is and remains an Article 15 institution, recognized not only by the Government of Liberia, but by all local, national and international organizations, the private sector, and more crucially, the Public.
This is why when the Press Union of Liberia was most recently entangled in an internal disruption over the integrity of its membership register ahead of the November 2022 Congress, members of the society watched closely how the dispute would play out.
Applauding dignitaries and journalists
I should say, even the Resident Representative of the Office of the ECOWAS Commission in Liberia, Ambassador Josephine Nkrumah, had her eyes on the conflict to the extent that some of our colleagues attempted to block her vision, from seeing the good intents against the ill. We are happy that rather fearing to offend, Her Excellency Ambassador Nkrumah, is today here with us – the PRESS UNION OF LIBERIA.
Many valuable dignitaries who believe in a free press, freedom of speech and expression, and democracy are also here with us today – THE PRESS UNION OF LIBERIA. To you the dignitaries including Professor Richmond Anderson we say thank you.
I should moreover applaud all journalists and members of the Press Union of Liberia from across the 15 counties of Liberia, Africa and the World, who have joined us and are celebrating the 61st anniversary of our Union.
I see that our distinguished Senior leader Mrs. Siatta Scott Johnson, President-Emeritus of the Female Journalists Association of Liberia – FeJAL, is here with us having flew from her important public service function in Ghana. Madam President, we thank you for all you do to help elevate the position of our Union.
From Grand Cape to Bomi, and Gbarpolu; from Margibi to Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Sinoe, Grand Kru, and Maryland; and from Montserrado to Grand Bassa unto Rivercess, we are happy to have our colleague journalists celebrating with us.
All is not well with state of press freedom
Colleagues, while the 61st anniversary of our Union is a time to genuinely celebrate, we should not forget that all is not well with respect to the state of press freedom, free speech and expression, and democratic governance in our dear country, Liberia.
Especially, in the preceding twenty-one months since the Joseph Nyuma Boakai administration assumed office, there have been growing numbers of cases of attacks, assaults, harassments, intimidation, and suppression of journalists and media organizations as well as citizens of Liberia, both of prominence and of non-prominence.
It is concerning that under the watch of the Boakai administration and within the general practice of democracy, there have been many cases of anti-free press, freedom of speech and expression offenses. This alarming.
These cases might seem insignificant to some. But those of us who believe in the values of a free press, freedom of speech and expression, and democracy, it is alarming.
Going by these trends of the last 21 months of the Boakai administration, we fear that by the time President Boakai is out of power by this term of his constitutional mandate in January 2030, the cases of anti-free press, free speech and expression offenses might continue to rise.
Before the worst happens, we call on the Boakai administration to stop the trend.
It makes no sense for the Boakai administration to pledge its commitment to press freedom, free speech and expression, while when journalists and the media are attacked, assaulted, harassed, intimidated, and silenced, the very same administration sits supinely in silence, without any noticeable action.
Abuse of power and calls for sober reflection
The recent incident involving journalist Franklin Doloquee and the Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Jerolinmek Piah, is an example of how, if left at the mercy of the powerful, press freedom can be abused – even if, a journalist crosses the boundaries of the straight-forward means to obtain information.
As announced on Monday, 29th September 2025, the Specialized Committee of Enquiry, chaired by veteran journalist and media development specialist, Mrs. Torwon Solunteh Brown, and comprising veteran journalist Attorney-at-Law Bruce Boweh, and Mr Adama Kiatama Dempster, National Secretary General of the National Civil Society Human Rights Platform, publicly submitted its report to the PUL leadership.
The findings, observations and conclusions of the report are not only damning of the conduct of conduct of Minister Piah and journalist Doloquee but also of the unprofessionalism by a few media entities. The report behooves us all to take a sober reflection and action going forward.
Boakai administration must not follow ugly paths of predecessors
Colleagues, the 61st anniversary celebrations of the Press Union of Liberia is a call to action. No doubt, the very essence of the Press Union of Liberia lies in its ability to serve as the moral guardian and watchdog of journalism and media practices. Because without this moral guardianship and watchdog role by an independent, impartial institution as the PUL, what would exist and confront us, will be a regime of excessive government control underpinned by suppression and self-censorship.
In Liberia’s long history of political and economic governance, we have had many instances where the Government of the day exerted its unwieldly powers to muzzle journalists and media entities into submission and extinction.
The brutal eras of President William V.S. Tubman, Samuel Doe, Charles Taylor, and to a limited extent or less brutal but consequential, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and George Weah, are manifestations of both how a combination of oligarchy, military dictatorship, tyranny, and counterfeit democrats can directly and indirectly deploy resources and tactics – both financial, materials and humans – to infringe on the rights of journalists, free press, freedom of speech and expression, as well as civil liberties and political rights.
We urge the Joseph Boakai administration not to follow the ugly paths of his predecessors, let alone to let the people of Liberia down.
Reactivating media council as watchers of the watchdogs
For our part as a Union, it is essential that we fulfil our role as an impartial mechanism of conflict management and resolution. Since assuming office one year ago, we have received at least ten complaints bordering on the work of journalists and media organizations, cases of apparent labor abuse, allegations of unethical leadership and corruption in some of the standing auxiliaries of the PUL.
Some of the cases have been heard while others are still pending because of the ongoing but now completed reforms of the National Media Council of Liberia. The Media Council is the independent, impartial professional body responsible to investigate and settle complaints and grievances arising from the work or conduct of journalists and media organizations in their recursive relations with different forces in society.
At this point, I should offer our unreserved apologies to all actors whose complaints are still pending before the Union because of our cautious approach to activate the National Media Council of Liberia, not only with impeccable characters but with the necessary, efficient, effective, and credible guardrails to fast-track cases brought before the ethical Council.
It is in this spirit I am pleased to announce that members of the National Media Council of Liberia would be unveiled and inaugurated before the end of October 2025.
The Council would consist of veteran journalists, media, civil society, government, women, lawyers and religious ethicists. We are confident that once constituted the Council will serve the public interest character and courage to safeguard journalism and media, not only as watchers of watchdogs, but as the bulwarks of an ethical society.
Perhaps, a part of the task of stemming the misnomer problem of “mercenary journalism” as espoused by our champion of free press and freedom of speech and expression, Cllr Tiawan Gongloe, would be settled by the reactivated National Media Council of Liberia.
Clarifying misrepresentation
Of course, we should provide clarity here on the apparent misrepresentation that the Press Union of Liberia was “silent” for 48 hours after Cllr. Gongloe renewed his observation. This is NOT true.
For the record, three interviews were granted to journalists of Radio Bushrod, Kear Radio, and Lux FM few hours after Cllr. Gongloe posted his article on Facebook.
It was therefore strange that a senior media leader accused the PUL of remaining silent 48 hours after the publication by Cllr. Gongloe.
But this should not be an excuse.
Limited by information asymmetry, we fully understood the frustrations of some of our colleagues who genuinely wants a robust, proactive than a “reactive” Press Union of Liberia regarding the conduct of conduct of journalists and media institutions in their interactions with different forces in society.
To our senior media leaders, we say we will count on your leadership and expertise for a stronger Union of integrity, not bashing.
Still on the Gongloe problem, we are happy that the renowned lawyer provided an addendum to his mercenary journalism thesis, incorporating a nuanced perspective about media sustainability, which many media critics are yet to elevate.
Supporting and sustaining public interest journalism
At the core of every democratic society with a functioning media, the capitalization and support of the media through sustainable funding fueled by public and private sector advertisements and state subsidies as much as philanthropy and ordinary citizens’ investments is critical for quality and independent journalism and media practices.
In democratic societies where journalism flourishes with higher degrees of public interest journalism, underpinned by investigative reporting, adherence to truth-telling, impartiality, and impactful storytelling, the media and journalists operate without daily worries of massive production or operating costs, delayed payments of advertising debts, inabilities to offer the minimum or above average or gainful wages, and the manifest threats of denial of public or private sector advertisement contracts or opportunities because of critical reporting. Contrast that reality of Liberia!
Simply, the political economy of the media in Liberia is constraining, thereby influencing the quality and contents of journalism and media.
It is time the Government of Liberia, the private sector, civil society, and our regional and international partners work with the Press Union of Liberia to dialogue and refine the approaches to supporting and sustaining public interest journalism in Liberia.
Colleagues, a less supported press is a threat not only to democracy but to the welfare of journalists. One of the core responsibilities of the PUL is to seek improved work conditions of service for journalists and media workers.
Problematic conditions of service of journalists
On this 61st anniversary, it is sad to announce that the conditions of service of journalists and media workers in Liberia remain problematic.
Although our administration is embarking on journalists’ welfare assessment, it is safe to say that all is not well with the conditions of service of journalists and media workers with respect to salaries, medical insurance, and other benefits.
In the coming weeks, we will commission a rapid comprehensive assessment to design evidence-based advocacy for improved conditions of service for journalists and media workers.
If you are not with us, we will not with you
Colleagues, journalism is a profession that is guided by professional code of ethics and conduct. To be considered a journalist proper in Liberia, it is required one registers and gets professional accreditation. Previously, the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism was responsible for such accreditation. However, since Liberia transitioned into a full scall democracy, that process of accrediting journalists lies with the PUL.
Colleagues, the registration or regularization process is ongoing. Please register or regularize your status. There will be time the Union will not be there for you if you are not with the Union or for the Union.
Constructing PUL National Headquarters
Finally, colleagues, there is one generation of journalists’ project that we must not forget: since 1997, land was purchased by our predecessors to have a National Headquarters of the PUL constructed. We have not been able to fulfil that dream.
Our administration has taken a bold step and approach to ensure that our National Headquarters is constructed for and on behalf of journalists and media workers.
This is why the celebration of anniversary is principally intended to underscore and highlight the essence of our National Headquarters that would become the permanent home of the PUL.
I would like to thank everyone who has so far contributed to the process.
We are also counting on the ECOWAS Commission to do its part.
The Chair of the Anniversary Committee is here; she will outline some of the details and how contributions can be made.
Crisis now behind us – time we move forward
But, colleagues, on this 61st anniversary of our Union, we must all not forget that the crisis in the Press Union of Liberia is now behind us. It is time we move ahead!
We are excited that the member is now resolved to moving the Press Union of Liberia forward.
So, as I take my seat, I would like to encourage all of us again that the Headquarters project is a generation of journalists’ project. If our generation fails, we will continue to fail the PUL for generations to come.
Thank you. And Happy 61st Anniversary!