A delegation of West African Media Executives, headed by renowned media development expert Prof. Kwame Karikari of Ghana, is in the country to ascertain the operational climate of the media under the Boakai-led Government.
The executives were hosted by Hon. Jerolinmek Piah at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism.
The group heaped praises on the Liberian Government for what they termed as country’s democratic culture amidst the decline of democracy in the subregion.
They further indicated that Liberia has distinguished itself as a shining example and an inspiration to other countries for being the first in West Africa to legislate the freedom of information law and to decriminalize libel and other speech-related offenses.
They noted that media freedom and unhindered access to public information should be the hallmark of the Government’s transparency and accountability agenda.
They said media freedom and free access to information would reinforce the Government’s anti-corruption campaign and advance the culture of transparency within Government and across Liberia.
The group’s Liberia partner, Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP), whose Executive Director, Malcolm Joseph was also part of the delegation, praised the Government of Liberia’s culture of openness and frank engagement with the media but expressed concern that Liberia continues to be stuck at the “partly free” rating level of Freedom House.
CEMESP hopes that the Government will do more to promote total media freedom including the improvement of the media economy, the transformation of the Liberia Broadcasting System into a public broadcaster, and the establishment of an independent media commission to regulate media content.
These actions, CEMESP believes, will go a step further in advancing freedom in Liberia and would generate a “total freedom” rating for Liberia by Freedom House and other international transparency groups.
Information Minister Piah was quick to point out that Liberia, under the Boakai administration will continue to advance media and civic freedom and assured that, before the administration ends its term, Liberia will move from a partly free rating to total freedom.
Minister Piah noted that the Boakai administration was committed to advancing freedom across the country, including the freedom of the independent media, and has begun to take concrete steps to address the economic stress facing the media as the nation’s economy improves.
Minister Piah thanked the group for their visit and admonished them to continue to see Liberia and the Ministry as a partner in advancing democratic culture in Liberia and across the subregion.
The other members of the visiting delegation were Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Rosemond Aryeetey, Programme Manager of the Media Foundation for West Africa, and Christopher Isiguzo, President of Nigeria Union of Journalists.
By: Blesset D. Kpenkennie
