Taylor Trial: Liberian Media Failing the Public (2)
To their credit, today several newspapers ran front-page stories in rebuttal to the allegations of kidnapping of potential witnesses in the Taylor trial, reporting that the Special Court in Sierra Leone calls the claims ridiculous.
I wish the Press Union of Liberia would do something about creating greater accountability in the media. At the very least, the newspapers should disclose when their articles are paid for, and by whom. What many of these outlets are doing is not journalism at all, but thinly-veiled PR. A newspaper’s primary responsibility is to inform the public, not to mislead. How can the PUL take itself seriously when its members are engaged in such unpatriotic and irresponsible behavior?
posted by Josh Nice at Friday, April 20, 2007
2 Comments:
Josh,
You make some very good and interesting points. It would be very rewarding to publish your views and opinions in the local papers. Many Liberians at "home" don't have access to the internet.
you're right. sometimes i feel like i'm yelling into a cave since almost nobody in liberia can feasibly access this site.
unfortunately i would have to pay the papers to have these views published. i have written many letters to the editor in my 11+ months here, and to my knowledge nothing has ever been printed.
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