The changing face of the media in Sierra Leone cannot be fully assessed without an in-depth consideration of the political atmosphere in which the media operates. The political scene, to a great extent, influences media practice in every step of the way. Since the establishment of the first newspaper in the colonial era, the media in Sierra Leone has had to go through many phases of political change and that has affected journalism extensively.
It all started in 1801, with the establishment of the first English-language newspaper in the region, The Royal Gazette and Sierra Leone Advertiser. The intention of establishing these newspapers was basically to use them as channels of information on policies and activities designed by the then colonial government. Radio, on the other hand, over a century after the first newspaper was printed. In 1934, the then British colonial Governor, Arnold Hudson, because of his interest in broadcasting, established the first broadcasting institution. However, these were not only colonial creations but were mostly operated by European settlers and the few elites. It is quite obvious; however, that media control was flexible. There was freedom of Information and of the press, and the media did not lack in their duties to entertain European settlers.
From Independence in 1961 to 1964 saw Sir Milton Margai's SLPP in power. This government was said to be one of national unity in which Sir Milton Margai brought together the major tribes from the north and the south. One writer referred to this period as "...the golden era before the advent of large-scale official corruption." The era might be calm and stable, but how tolerant was the government to media freedom? If indeed the government was tolerant enough, what was the media like? Were they effective in reporting issues objectively? If so, what was the public's response to media publications? These are some of the issues that are to be dealt with in making a fair assessment.
To start with, during the reign of Sir Milton Margai, the media still enjoyed the spill over of press freedom that it had during the colonial era. Although the literacy rate was not that high, and readership was low, reports on parliamentary debates in the media still held the public’s attention. That was mainly because Sierra Leoneans had developed the passion for debate among their leaders and so have always been attracted to it. The conclusion that could be drawn from the public's perception of the media during this political era was that the public relied on the media and regarded whatever came from them as the gospel truth.
One notable investment that was made during this era was the inauguration of the television service as part of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) in 1963. Since then, the SLBS operated both radio and television services and its programming were regarded as one of high quality, despite the numerous problems with regards administration and operations. However, these problems led to the closure of the television service in subsequent years.
Another change in the political scene in Sierra Leone was in 1964. Sir Albert Margai came into power that same year and ruled till 1967. With some of his unreasonable strategies implemented – such as allowing only his tribesmen to positions of authority- one would expect that the media would rise up and take a solid step. But little or no critique was reflected in media reporting until, as Joseph Opala puts it in his essay titled The Politics of State Collapse, “…Albert Margai’s tribalism provoked the rise of a new opposition party, the [All Peoples Congress] APC.” It was during this period that the media became very powerful and performed effectively in events leading to the 1967 general elections. The public had so much confidence in the media that civil servants leaked information to journalists and these were published in newspapers. Foremost amongst these newspapers was We Yone Newspaper, which was used as a mouthpiece for the APC.
The aforementioned general elections resulted in chaos, thereby causing instability in the country. The next thing was the dawn of a military government – the National Reformation Council (NRC) which lasted for a year. It is no hidden fact that military governments are no friends of the media. However, not much could be said about the Sierra Leone media during the reign of Lt Colonel Juxon Smith.
Then came Siaka Stevens – 1968 – 1985, the president whose reign was widely believed to have institutionalized corruption in Sierra Leone. When he came into power he used the media to the fullest. In fact, the SLBS was at his beck and call. Notwithstanding that fact, Stevens understood the essence of organizing press briefings to address issues that would result in fine editorials on his government. Those days were not like now when journalists can criticize government policies. Journalists were very cautious when reporting. They were never allowed to write critical stories because they would end up in the dustbin. Reporters could only critique sports issues. It is obvious that the government was not tolerant enough to accommodate criticisms. This was evident in that Siaka Stevens adopted a one – party (totalitarian) state policy – a thing he had been opposed to initially.
Nevertheless, Siaka Stevens has been praised for helping the media in terms of training. In a recent interview with the editor of Africa Week magazine ( London) Desmond Davies, he recalled the days he was practicing as a journalist in Sierra Leone.
“When I started out as a reporter in 1972 there was a Northern Irishman named Ken Smiley who was training journalists in Sierra Leone. He was a sub editor at Fleet Street in London and was sent out by the British government as part of a technical assistance program for the Sierra Leonean media. The APC government had asked for this.”
According to Desmond Davies, Smiley spent six months each, working with a particular news institution. He covered the Daily Mail and The Nation; the only two daily state – owned newspapers-, the SLBS and the Ministry of Information Newsroom. It was during this era also that the SLBS TV was revived. Siaka Stevens ensured that the new equipment was bought for the station and this served him well during the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) Summit that was hosted in Sierra Leone.
The era of Joseph Saidu Momoh (1985 – 1992) was a non booster to the Sierra Leone media. The media went through difficulties just to maintain neutrality and objectivity in performing its functions. Because the media operated under a one – party state, criticisms on government policies were cautioned with the most dramatic measures, just like in the days of Siaka Stevens. Journalists were attacked, threatened and imprisoned and their copies were carefully censored before publication. This censorship was mostly done in – house; by editors, because if the articles were published unchecked, the editors would have the government to answer to. This situation was indeed bad for the media, and it made no room for Freedom of Information and the press. In an article on the Sierra Leone Media, Sierra Leonean journalist Umaru Fofana writes
“A culture of silence was being slammed on the people of this country. A seed of antagonism between the independent media and the government especially the leadership was being sown.”
When he came into power, Joseph Saidu Momoh declared his respect for Freedom of the Press. According to some critics, his negligence of public affairs created problems for him. One such situation was when his minister of Information banned some newspapers. The issue caused a stir but when the president was interviewed about it, he professed ignorance. It was during Momoh’s reign that the SLBS TV collapsed. This happened in 1988, and it was as a result of the depletion of government resources by those in power. This did not go down well with the public and it meant a step backwards for the media in Sierra Leone.
Led by Captain V.E.M Strasser, the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) overthrew Momoh’s APC government in 1992. The NPRC lasted for four years and the media in Sierra Leone went through hell. Harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists were the order of the day. When a journalist wrote something that wasn’t in favour of the government, it wasn’t only the journalist that suffered; the press house was also vandalized. The case of Julius Spencer (New Breed Newspaper) versus the state was a typical example. The then journalist (Julius Spencer; he later became Minister of Information in President Kabbah’s SLPP government) who merely reported what was published about the government and their diamond scam in an international magazine, was thoroughly harassed and detained.
Under the NPRC, media bills were enforced to stifle the press and government made full use of the State broadcaster to propagate its policies. With the materialization of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan that Momoh had been campaigning for, NPRC were able to improve the situation in the country in the twinkling of an eye. One good thing about this was revitalization of the SLBS TV, which had been dormant for years. Inasmuch as this was a step forward for the media, it was also an advantage for the military government because the station was used as propaganda machinery. Needless to say, during the last days of NPRC, many newspapers flooded the news stands. And as this happened, some of them awoke from their slumber and with the backing of the general public, they were able to get Maada Bio’s NPRC government (Strasser had been overthrown by then) to understand that the entire populace was in favour of “elections before peace”. The media was no longer in the dark. They had seen that light and had realized that the military government was using the war as a front to stay in power and loot as much diamonds as they could. That was all the more reason they (the military government) wanted “peace before elections,” a war they had no intention of ending.
The 1996 general elections brought President Ahmed Tejan Kabba and the SLPP to power. During this period; the first democracy in Sierra Leone, there was little or no pressure on media practitioners and more newspapers registered. Unfortunately, this lasted only for a while as the military seized power again. This time around it was the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council headed by Major Johnny Paul Koroma. This coup took place in 1997, and one writer when describing the state of the media then said, “the months that followed were the worst for the media in Sierra Leone”. AFRC together with their partners in crime, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) despised the media in every way. Many media houses closed down and those who dared to stand the storm were jailed, harassed, beaten and some were even murdered. One medium that was regarded as appropriate by the AFRC/RUF government was the television. The government, wanting to gain popularity from the masses, displayed everything on television. Little did they know that they were exposing themselves. Somewhere, somehow, a clandestine radio station came onto the scene. This radio station was used by Kabbah’s exiled government to keep Sierra Leoneans informed and alert to their civic duties and they were also reminded of their loyalty to the democratic government. Because of this, the people undertook ‘civil disobedience,’ and the government was unable to achieve anything. This clandestine radio station helped to destroy every move of the junta.
Since the reinstatement of the government of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah on 10th March 1998, the Sierra Leone media has been through a lot. On one hand, media practitioners have displayed gross unprofessional behaviours thereby causing a lot of disrespect for the profession by the populace. The umbrella association for journalists, which was considered as a body that would help to regulate the media, failed in that direction. This, however, saw the establishment of the Independent Media Commission in the year 2000.
On the other hand, the media had tremendous problems that they had to cope with and this affected the quality of their publications greatly. Media houses had to cope with problems of non availability of printing of materials, the erratic nature of electricity supply, few printing houses and many more. February 24 2000 was a day noted down in history, as no paper was published because all three printing machines that were available had technical problems.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, subsequent days after the turn of the millennium proved better in terms of training for media practitioners. Media training workshops were organized for various institutions and the Mass Communications unit at Fourah Bay College introduced the Bachelor of Art Honours degree in Media Studies. Most of these trainings have, however, affected media reporting and now people can make sense of most issues reported in the media. On second thoughts, one is forced to ask why SLAJ wasn’t undertaking such initiatives to help better the face of the Sierra Leone media. David Tam, former SLAJ Secretary General revealed in one of his articles titled “Kabbah: A Bad Businessman”, the selfish nature of former SLAJ presidents in grabbing all external trips and refusing to allow members to go out and gain exposure. Is this the same as now? Is the association contributing in any way to the betterment of the profession in Sierra Leone?
The media during Tejan Kabbah’s era has had to fight more battles than ever before. Journalists have been harassed and imprisoned. The Harry Yansaneh issue (the fracas between an SLPP Member of Parliament and an editor that led to the latter being killed) is a prominent case that the media has had to battle with state parties. This shows how journalism has grown. Kabbah’s government like most unreasonable ones doesn’t embrace hard criticism. On several occasions the government has had to stop good quality programs that they do not consider as “programs in the interest of the government”. Many a time, journalists have been prevented from doing their job. This doesn’t make room for Freedom of the Press. However, one thing that Kabbah’s government could be applauded for is the frequent press briefings organized by the Ministry of Information that helps journalists to clarify issues by posing questions to authorities concerned. The police can also be commended for keeping in constant touch with the media through their weekly Tuesday press briefings. However, the media still has one more battle to fight and that is to see that the portions of the 1965 Public Order Act that are opposed to Freedom of Expression and of the press, are expunged.
A new phenomenon entered the Sierra Leone media on the 24th March 2005. A Sierra Leonean by the name of Allieu Shaw invested in what became the first independent television station in Sierra Leone, Aisow Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Television Africa – Sierra Leone. According to the proprietor, he invested money in television because of the “…poor quality programming on the state television.” When ABC TV appeared on the scene, most Sierra Leoneans switched dials permanently to it. The station operated on channel 22 UHF, and some part of Freetown and the North (mostly Lungi.) could view it clearly. Since the inception of ABC, some other television companies have registered with the IMC, but up to date, none has started transmission.
Talking about registration with the IMC, the number of newspapers and radio stations that are licensed in Sierra Leone has increased considerably. There are about fifty newspaper houses and forty – six radio stations, many of which are community radio stations. Only about twelve of these newspapers come out daily. Media proprietors have barely any problems acquiring licenses to operate. The Herculean task is regulating the media, and the IMC has struggled to achieve this over the years. Compiling a National Media Policy and a Media Code of Ethics are new initiatives the IMC has been working on together with PANOS Institute, West Africa. Workshops have been organized and media practitioners have made tremendous contributions; all aimed at charting the way forward for the media in Sierra Leone. The government, through the Ministry of Information has been instrumental in this drive.
From the days of colonialism to date, the media in Sierra Leone has been through changing political and economic scenes that have affected its output considerably. Considering that the first West African newspaper was published in Sierra Leone, one would expect that huge improvements in terms of operating facilities would have taken place. Although there have been some developments, they are minimal when compared to those of our sister West African countries. By now the media should have grown to a level wherein media houses could boast of their own printing presses. Currently the media houses that own printing facilities are not up to ten. That’s not good enough when considering the number of registered newspapers in the country. But when this is viewed against the backdrop of the current economic situation; Sierra Leone being one of the least developed countries, then much cannot be said.
The approach to circulation of newspapers is also very poor. As in the colonial days when everything was centered in the metropolis, so it is now. These days, only few newspapers are sold in the provinces, and few reports on provincial matters are reflected in them. It is not so with the radio stations. There are community radio stations in most provincial towns, and this is a good sign.
The Internet has positively affected the quality of reporting. Media practitioners rely on it as a research tool and this has done them a world of good.
On the whole, the Sierra Leone media has developed into a pluralistic one that allows for the voice of the people to be heard. Now the media should focus on implementing strategies that would enable them to be effective in every sense of the word. But the first step of this process should be capacity building; this would mean that there would be no place for lazy journalism. The face of any media can never be disguised. Its true nature would always reflect in the output.
Willette John is a Freetown-based broadcast journalist.
Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Googlize this
Blinklist
Wikio
Export PDF
Print