Newspapers

Here’s a probably-not-exhaustive list of the local newspapers, most of which are tabloid-size, 4-10 pp., and openly opinionated.

• New Vision (Decent, kinda slim, but good social agenda)
• The Analyst
• The Inquirer
• The News (Nice, level-headed, has a regular column on accounting issues(!), keeps an educated eye on finance stuff.)
• The New Democrat (Firm but relatively fair on the govt, this is the fanciest of the local papers, and the one with the most content. Some excellent stuff in here. Recommended.)
• National Chronicle
• Daily Observer (Seems pretty even-handed, good social agenda, Education page, Enviro stories)
• Heritage (Real hard on Ellen, reactionary, at least the issues we’ve seen. Printed a puff piece on the Firestone company on the very day that the others were reporting Firestone scandals. Hmmm.)

There’s also at least one all-sports paper, not listed here. Newspapers are printed on pink, blue, yellow, green or white paper, some of them depending on the day. They all cost the same, L$20, or about US$.35. Papers are supported at least in part with ads for local-hire UN jobs, requests for bids on construction projects, ads for cell phone companies, ads for shipping services and the like. Lots of ads are taken out by private citizens to celebrate birthdays, graduations, etc. A full page ad costs about $200US, smaller ones much less. Some of these papers probably get funding from international NGOs, in the interest of fostering debate.

Lots of personal axes are ground in these pages! Letters to the editor consistently call for the president to “do something” about Liberia’s problems. Many readers, editorials, and op-eds complain that the US is not doing enough for the country, while others want to limit outsiders’ involvement.

Some of these papers have a web presence at allafrica.com. Not sure if their web content matches the print versions. If you’re visiting Monrovia and looking for newspapers, try the front porch of the Mamba Point Hotel, early.