Congo Town, Monrovia: In the wake of drawdowns in USAID and other international support to the Liberian media, the Press Union of Liberia is appealing to the government to swiftly step in and assume some of the responsibilities left behind by the media partners.
USAID, through its Media Activity, has reportedly spent over US$ 10 Million to support high quality journalism in post war Liberia.
However, the draw down of the USAID support, according to the President of the Press Union of Liberia, Mr. Julius Kanubah, has created a huge vacuum in the media space, impacting capacity building and institutional strengthening. “We hope the government can assume some of the shocks!”, Mr. Kanubah added.
Mr. Kanubah averred that the drawbacks on advertisement over the years has affected the resource generating capacity of media institutions in the country, thus affecting the quality of journalism in Liberia.
While appealing for government’s support to the media, the PUL is also critical of what it calls an increasing interference by county officials in the operations of community radio stations.
The PUL through its leader alarms that county and community based radio stations, which are vital sources of information, are increasingly facing undue interferences from some county superintendents, stressing, “This undermines their independence and jeopardizes their ability to serve our communities, effectively”.
The Liberian media fraternity head wants the government to safeguard the work environment of rural media institutions to save them from undue political influences.
Mr. Kanubah has furthermore epitomized the crucial need for the Boakai-led government to respect and uphold the rule of law, terming it a fundamental pillar to nation building.
“Respect for and adherence to the rule of law is essentially critical to keeping the peace and ensuring the development of our country,” Kanubah stated.
Mr. Kanubah made the crucial call on Thursday, April 10, 2025 when he delivered a special statement on behalf of the PUL at the Annual Presidential Media Dinner held at the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town.
The dinner, organized by the Ministries of State for Presidential Affairs and Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, brought together government officials and media managers, including talk show hosts and Executive Mansion reporters to harness ways to strengthen relations between the media and the government.
What does the government say?
Meanwhile, President Joseph N. Boakai Sr., has recommitted his administration’s support to media freedom.
President Boakai said his government will continue to uphold the strides made over the years in protecting media freedom.
“We are steadfast in our support for the Table Mountain Declaration, which serves not merely as a written commitment, but as a living pledge to defend journalists rights and guarantee the free exchange of information in our community”.
The Liberian leader acknowledged that press freedom is not a gift that sustains itself but one that must be defended, cherished, expanded and institutionalized.
President Boakai intimated that the media will not be suppressed nor will there be political prisoner under his administration. He said, “Criticism is not a threat to democracy. We will not stifle dissenting voices; we will engage with them”.
