MONROVIA, Liberia- At a one-day retreat at the weekend, Liberian Media stakeholders reviewed and updated a strategic roadmap for the drafting of bill leading to the enactment of a National Independent Media Commission in Liberia.
The retreat, held at the YMCA auditorium in Monrovia, was based on a project supported by the British Embassy in Monrovia, the project implemented by Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP) in league with the Press Union of Liberia.
It solicited inputs from media stakeholders to populate a matrix containing actions steps for the initiated legislative engagements, according to a CEMESP press release.
The Executive Director of CEMESP, Malcolm Joseph presented the draft strategy and recalled the actions that have been covered under the project were intended to strengthen media independence based on a regulatory framework.
These actions he said included series of layered training to deepen skills of journalists in professionally conceptualizing, research and publishing stories that serve the public interest as well as developing digital security consciousness. He said these are actions that have been accomplished with marked degree of success but not that what now lies ahead to consummate a media regulatory blueprint is even critical for which all hands have to be on deck.
PUL President Charles Cuffey earlier implored media stakeholders to make the necessary sacrifice in doing justice to the process of crafting a law that serves the interest of all to avoid regret in the future.
Mr. Coffey used the occasion to allude to the ongoing government instituted investigation into allegations of attacks against journalists.
Attorney Patmelia Doe Paivey moderated the session that sought inputs from stakeholders on key issues starting with doing a desk review of media regulatory structures in Ghana and Sierra Leone against as well other existing sector entities such as Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism and Liberia Telecommunications Authority. These are entities whose mandates will somewhat be affected in terms of ceding some responsibilities to the proposed commission.
The Friday, March 20, 2020 session took decision on the name of the media regulatory structure to evolve and members voted in favor the: National Independent Media Commission.
It has been resolved that collaboration and consultation should start in earnest with sector ministries, MICAT and LTA as well as media owners, reporters union, legislative reporters.
Key lawmakers have been earmarked to champion the bill when submitted before the house goes for recess in June. Already, Senator Commany Wesseh and Representative Munah Pelham Youngblood had indicated their preparedness to drive the legislative agenda.
There was consensus on the need to pass the law before the mid-term elections. Key dateline projections have also been tentatively agreed upon to embark on validation of the draft bill lobby, awareness raising process in attracting strategic buy-in from other actors relevant to the reform agenda, follow-up meetings with lawmakers and attending public hearings.
CEMESP and the PUL have promised to touch base with development partners in this process to address the resource implication requirements of the various actions outlined for the passage of a media regulatory law that make up for gaps in past and existing initiatives in self-regulation that have hardly been efficacious.