–Launches IPNEWS ‘Print House’ Rally
IPNEWS-Monrovia: The political leader and standard bearer of the opposition Movement for Progressive Change (MPC) has underscored the need for the Liberian Media to play a major role in determining Elections’ outcome in Liberia.
Speaking at the 3rd anniversary program of The Independent Probe Newspaper (IPNEWS) on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 in Monrovia, Mr. Simeon Freeman challenged the Liberian media to be the pace-setters that will help direct the ordinary citizen who to vote as President, lawmakers among others in the country.
Mr. Nat Blama of HPX Liberia and PUL president Charles Coffey
He said like in the United States of America, where the media is very powerful and practically determine whether it is the Democrats or the Republicans that win a given election, the Liberia Media must begin to look into that direction by becoming economically vibrant thus granting them the status to direct the course Liberians take in a given election.
The MPC political leader also urged the Liberian media to go beyond and dig thoroughly about people who declare to vie for public offices, their family lives, educational competence, and social lives among others. “The media must help to expose unqualified and incompetent individuals who put themselves forward to vie for public offices, because when that is the ordinary citizenry will make able to make informed decision as who to vote into public office for the betterment of Liberia,” Mr. Freeman stressed.
Commenting on economic empowerment for the Liberian media, the MPC political leader called for a law that will compel concessions and major businesses in Liberia to advertise their produce through the local media, as that will help upgrade their financial statuses, and also the Liberian government will benefit because Media Houses and Institutions pay income taxes to the national government intended for the growth of the country and its people.
PUL presidential candidate Julius Kanubah (center) and some members of the PUL at the program
He said the Media institutions in Liberia and the world at large live on advertisement and it is from that media Institutions grow and survive. He also noted President George Weah is not helping the Liberian Media at all, evidenced with statement from his Finance Minister that the media would have been weaponized against upon his administration in 2018, which is being manifested today with lack of advertisement from the Government of Liberia to the Liberian media, and if by chance they tend to give one or two advertisements the Media institutions are not paid as they have to cry out for their monies having aired or published the advertisements the government had given them.
Mr. Freeman then stated if Liberians want to enjoy their taxes that are being paid to national government, it is time that the Media help the ordinary people in making sound decisions about who to elect to public offices by shifting the course of direction instead of the regular thing of the past where incompetent people, criminals, rogues, and murderers etc were elected to public offices by the ordinary people out of ignorance.
“If the Media and the people Liberia must enjoy their taxes there is a need for them to support a political party or individual who will make the Media community grow economically,” the MPC political leader stated.
Mr. Simeon Freeman said the current hardship the librarian people are going through is because of the way in which the Media reported during the 2017 election. He said the media did not help guide the ordinary people through their reportage which way as the best to go in the 2017 elections, as result of that, the ordinary people and the country is suffering today with economic hardship beyond unimaginable reasons.
The MPC political leader then encouraged the Independent Probe Newspaper family that it is time that “we take our problems serious and if the Legislature is the problem what do you expect from them as they will only make bad laws.”
“The media need to deep dig into issues, we also allow things to lie only for a while in Liberia and after a week or two you hear nothing about that particular issue again. That is not helping us at all,” Mr. Freeman noted. He then urged: “If we run our society like this we will not move anywhere as media and a nation”
Launch of IPNEWS ‘Print House’
Serving as official key launcher for the Independent Probe Newspaper (IPNEWS) Rally intended to establish a ‘Print House’, the political leader of the MPC, Simeon Freeman first lauded the news organ for its dream and vision to secure and subsequently establish a ‘Print House’ that will in the near future ease the burden of printing the hard copies of the Independent Probe Newspaper.
Mr. Freeman said any major dream that is to be achieved has to begin from a first step and that is exactly what the IPNEWS family has done today, Tuesday, November 9, 2022 by launching a Rally to raise money for the purchase of modern state-of-the-art machines for their envisioned ‘Print House’.
To set the ball rolling as key launcher, Mr. Freeman made an initial pledge of LS$45,000 to the Rally and encouraged other well-meaning Liberians who believe in Freedom of Speech and Press Freedom, as well as political advocates and activists to support the Independent Probe Newspaper’s Rally with whatever financial contributions as the paper dreams about purchasing and establishing their own Print House.
Former EPA Executive Director Nathaniel Blama Cautions Liberian Media
Mr. Nathaniel Blama former EPA Executive Director
Also speaking at the IPNEWS Launch and 3rd Anniversary program, the former Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr. Nathaniel Blama, who is also Executive of HPX Liberia said the media is always a reflection of a society and if the society needs to get better it is the media that needs to help in that direction.
Blama cautioned the Liberian media to thoroughly investigate issues before publishing, indicating though every media institution may want to be the first in breaking the news, but factual information is cardinal as far the ethics of journalism is concerned.
“No factual information and it is reflected in the media, some of the things we write do reflect on us as a nation and a people.”
The former EPA Executive Director noted that in Liberia lower things take the higher platform and high things take lower platform in the media, a situation he cautioned the media to look into and direct a new course where to always fact check which is cardinal to good journalism.
“The media have a very long role to play and we need to know that we have responsibility to society. What if the media to report on our disadvantaged brothers and sisters who are there on the street? If we don’t clean the society that we are living in it is going to hurt us as a people and Nation. The role of the media is to report on issues that happen to the society and its people,” Mr. Blama cautioned.
Meanwhile, as far as the IPNEWS Rally was concerned for the purchase of printing machines for its ‘Print House’, the former EPA Executive Director pledged L$30,000 as his initial contribution, and then called on other philanthropists and business houses and executives to support the newspaper’s rally.
There were other personalities who pledged support to the IPNEWS Rally, including former Foreign Minister Gbehzohngar Findley, Deputy House Speaker Cllr. J Fonati Koffa, PUL vice presidential candidate, Beatrice Sieh, PUL President Charles Coffey, the Chairman of the Rocky Hill Community, Mr. Andrew Ngolloe in behalf of his people; Mr. Cholo Brooks- Secretary General of The Publishers Association of Liberia (RAL) committed his association to a pledge, among others.
Mr. Cholo Brooks- Secretary General of The Publishers Association of Liberia (RAL) and some PUL members at the program
The personalities lauded the IPNEWS family for their 3rd anniversary and challenged them to continue to do more in its endeavors for higher heights in the media landscape in Liberia. As for PUL presidential candidate, Julius Kullie Kanubah, he said the dream of the IPNEWS to empower itself economically with the planned establishment of a Print House, is inline with plans of his team if elected to the leadership of the Press Union of Liberia.
Mr. Kanubah said now is the time to create the conditions and space for media houses to be empowered economically through direct investment in other ventures as well as seeking support through international media projects that focus on specific subject matters.
Earlier, giving an overview of the IPNEWS Rally intended to purchase printing machines for the establishment of its ‘Print House’, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Molixium Ventures, Inc. publishers of the Independent Probe Newspaper, said the vision to set up a printing house has been a long been a dream as printing cost has always been a burden for most Liberian newspapers publishers.
Mr. Chester Smith said the establishment of a Print House for the IPNEWS will take the paper to another level as the exorbitant fees to print houses owned by foreign nationals can be diverted to some other activity within the IPNEWS setup that will benefit the staff and management.
He said for the past months, IPNEWS management has spent a little over US$18,000 for printing cost alone to keep the paper afloat and on the newsstand. “The only way we can reduce such exorbitant spending is to acquire our own machines and establish our Print House, so that money spent on printing can go towards other things at IPNEWS for the betterment of the staff and the management,” Mr. stated.
He lauded the guests, the media community, clients, consumers and the Rocky Hill Community for their support as The Independent Probe newspaper celebrated its 3rd Anniversary on November 5, 2022.
Meanwhile, several Liberians journalists and the general public graced the IPNEWS 3rd Anniversary program and Rally. By Taisiah K. Merfee, with additional reporting by The EDITOR-in-Chief
