One of the two presidential candidates for the forthcoming Press Union of Liberia (PUL) election, Julius Kullie Kanubah has presented his manifesto to members of the PUL with the hope that his ideas will be brought by them in his vision to redeem the journalists’ union and make it regain its lost glory, advocacy, as well as stepping up its advocacy on press freedom, freedom of expression and advocacy for respect of human rights.

On Tuesday, October 25, 2022, candidate Kanubah and his PUL for President Campaign Team presented their manifesto at its newly-launched headquarters on 11th Street in Sinkor (landside) for their campaign activities as he strives to become next president of the Liberian journalists. Kanubah is vying for the PUL hot seat along with incumbent Vice President Daniel Nyakonah in race that is expected to challenging.

See below Candidate Julius Kullie Kanubah’s Manifesto as he vies for the PUL Presidency:

“Overachieving Vision:

Bringing Credibility, Integrity and Dignity to the PUL, the Media and Liberian Journalists
Challenges and Opportunities:

After 58-years of existence, the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) is in a dire and troubling state. The Union has lost its moral voice in society. The current leaders of the Union have failed to demonstrate accountability and responsibility.

The construction of the Headquarters of the PUL remains a long unfilled promise. The Union has failed to pursue and accelerate increased support to women in journalism, media and communication.

The current leaders of the Union have perpetrated a system of exclusion and marginalization of journalists in the Counties and Regions. Disunity, detachment and disengagement from the Union by journalists and media workers in Monrovia and across Liberia have become the norm because of unresolved conflicts and lack of quality leadership.

The current leaders of the Union have grossly failed to initiate negotiations and reach agreements on improved salaries for journalists and media workers.

The current leaders have neglected addressing the health of journalists through a health insurance scheme. Current leaders of the Union have not endeavored to constructively work with the Government of Liberia, private sector actors and civil society to link the struggling media economy to the larger economy.

The Union essentially suffers from institutional-human capacity deficits. The future of the PUL is worryingly uncertain. Addressing the myriad of problems confronting the PUL and the media requires a strong-will character with a vision and bold programs of reforms aiming to bring credibility, integrity and dignity to the PUL and the media.

The Julius Kanubah Manifesto for the PUL presents a unique opportunity to “Reset” and “Make the PUL Great Again.”

What does Mr. Kanubah want to do for the Union?

Julius, as an internationally educated and experienced media practitioner with specialist understanding of development and governance, journalism and media, and rural development and natural resource management, is pleased to outline a Six-Pillar AGENDA to meaningfully transform and institutionally develop the PUL when elected:

1) Accountable Leadership
2) Impartial Advocacy
3) Construction of Press Union of Liberia Headquarters
4) Support for the of Women in Journalism, Media and Communication
5) Media Development; and
6) Formations of Media Hubs in the Counties and Regions of Liberia.

The Kanubah leadership will implement the six-pillar agenda through constructive consultations and engagements with and active involvement of Media Practitioners, Media Development Organizations, Local and International Donors. This would also entail making public pronouncements on critical national issues and organizing financial and material resource mobilization activities locally and globally.

Key specifics of the Six-Pillar Agenda

 ACCOUNTABLE LEADERSHIP: Julius and his Team will ensure that accountability is the hallmark of the Leadership of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) with respect to the general operations of the Union.

Consistent with the Constitution of the PUL, the Kanubah Leadership will institute a system of transparency and accountability. The Team plans to:

 Set-up and enforce mechanisms of accountability for all Elected Officers, Chairpersons and Members of Permanent/Standing Committees, the Support Staff, and Regional/County Coordinators.

 Produce, document, and communicate minutes of all meetings of the Union including the quarterly meeting of the Executive Committee and the first-half-of-the-year meeting of registered members on the third Friday of March each year.

 Conduct constitutional mini-congress to make annual progressive and financial reports at the end of every fiscal year.

 Produce and circulate to institutional and individual members hard and soft copies of financial statement, comprehensive narrative report of programs and projects implemented during the first term of the Leadership.

 Establish a transparent, accurate, credible and updated system of registration, record and data management of the membership categories, capturing key demographic features and dues-paying status.

 IMPARTIAL ADVOCACY: The Kanubah Team is resolved to bring back the impartial advocacy stance of the Union on issues involving journalists, media practitioners and media entities, as well as nationally oriented issues that impinge upon political stability and economic development such as poverty, inequality, and human insecurity in Liberia.

The Team plans to:

 Work to uphold and enforce ethical standards of journalism aiming to deepen journalistic and media professionalism.

 Establish Legal Defense Unit and Legal Defense Fund to support the protection, defense and strengthening of the rights of journalists, freedom of media, and freedom of information.

 Responsibly engage the Liberian Government on finding solutions to national issues bordering on the survival of the Nation and its people.

 Be constructively critical, proffering suggestions to finding solutions with respect to national governance.

 CONSTRUCTION OF PUL HEADQUATERS:

The PUL Headquarters project is a key priority of the Julius Team. The Team is resolved to finally construct the PUL Headquarters by mobilizing resources internally from individual and institutional members of the Union and externally from public and private sector actors including media development organizations, Government of Liberia, donor partners, embassies, Diaspora-based media entities and practitioners, and goodwill institutions.

 Establish a Special Resource Mobilization and Project Implementation Committee of credible media, Government and civil society actors for PUL Headquarters construction.

 Establish an escrow account at a reputable bank for deposits-only of any funds towards PUL Headquarters construction project.

 Launch a radio and digital “Go Fund PUL” campaign seeking public support towards Headquarters project.

 Generate between 50 –100-thousand United States dollars at the end of the first fiscal period of the Union for Headquarters construction.

 Commence construction of PUL Headquarters in 2024.

 SUPPORT FOR WOMEN IN JOURNALISM:

The Kanubah Team, with a Female Vice President, is prepared and resolved to increase support for Women in Journalism, Media and Communication.

With the significant expansion of the Liberian media landscape since the end of the civil war in 2003, Team Kanubah will:

 Actively engage media owners, managers, and editors to expand and advance the career and leadership roles of female journalists and media practitioners.

 Proactively work with the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL) to train, build capacity, and seek fellowship opportunities and programs for Female journalists

 Establish a network of female journalists as facilitators of journalism, media and communication training and capacity-building programs.

 MEDIA DEVELOPMENT: Another key area of focus is Media Development vis-à-vis the capacity advancement and economic empowerment of media practitioners. The Kanubah Leadership would ensure that the Press Union of Liberia will:

 Aggressively engage in institutional capacity-building and training programs to ensure the viability and productivity of the Union and its membership.

 Initiate and reactive discussions and negotiations with media owners, managers, editors and media practitioners regarding the Collective Bargaining Agreement dealing with the service of work condition and health insurance scheme for journalists and media workers.

 Convene working sessions and panels to reach common understanding regarding the introduction and enforcement of improved salaries of journalists and media workers.

 Forge good partnerships with the Liberian Government, media development organizations and other partners to improve media economy.

 Seek and establish newsroom leaders fellowship in region and in Africa.

 Reactivate and strengthen regional and international networks with journalism and media organizations including the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), National Democracy Endowment (NED), West African Journalists Association (WAJA), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and All Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA).

 Strengthen partnership and relationship for effective and smooth functioning of constituent/affiliate auxiliaries including Publishers Association of Liberia (PAL), Reporters Association of Liberia (RAL), Sports Writers Association of Liberia (SWAL), Foreign Stringers Association, Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL), and media workers associations.

 FORMATIONS OF MEDIA HUBS: The final plan of the Kanubah Manifesto is the Formations of Media Hubs in the Counties and Regions of Liberia aimed at making the PUL impactful for colleagues in the Counties and Regions, leading to substantial benefits for Memberships across Liberia.

The Team would work to institutionalize sub-chapters of the Union in the Regions and Counties for members to have their own leadership that will steer and govern the affairs of journalists in the Counties and the Regions.

The Team has observed that the current system of one Coordinator per County is grossly limited in scope and legitimacy.

It is convinced that the Regional and County-based media hubs will contribute to the meaningful decentralization of the Union.

The Kanubah Team further thinks that with an elected leadership, the Union’s Memberships in the Counties and Regions will take charge of enforcing ethical journalism and undertaking media development activities in the regions and counties.

In consultation with the Union’s leadership, leaders of the media hubs will also take charge of the issue of the vetting and awards of community radio journalists and media institutions in the counties and regions. The team would work to:

 Establish and activate one media hub in each of the fourteen counties as sub-chapters of the PUL, excluding Montserrado County.

 Develop and activate leadership and permanent/standing committee structures of media hubs.
 Constitute inclusive and representative leadership of media hubs through appointment/elections/consensus decision.

 Develop institutional rules and regulations for functional operations of media hubs and the journalism, media and communication sector of each County.

 Ensure each media is allotted certain percentage of financial and materials resources generated by the Union.

 Ensure each media hub conducts monitoring and evaluation of journalistic practices and the operations of the media for the annual awards of county-based and regional journalists

In conclusion, the Kanubah Leadership Team, as a vision, is determined and focused to bring Credibility, Integrity, and Dignity to the PUL and the Media in Liberia.

It will work assiduously to improve the professional image of the Press Union of Liberia and the conditions of journalists, media workers and communication practitioners of Liberia.”