IPNEWS: It seems like continued souring relations between President Joseph Boakai’s Presidential Press Secretary is far from over.
Thursday, June 20, was a scene at the Balla Casa Hotel in Monrovia after media Executives, particularly leading publishers staged a walkout during a meeting called by President Joseph N. Boakai’s Press Secretary Kula Fofana.
The aggrieved media managers including veteran Journalist Philipbert S Browne , Alfred Togbah , Sam O. Dean , Mohammed Kanneh Othello Garblah amongst others, walked out was prompted by Miss Fofana continued insistence to advertised on the official presidential website known as ‘E-mansion’ which was viewed by the Media Executives as disrespectful and insensitive to the economic conditions of the traditional media in Liberia, which continued to suffered nonpayment by functionaries of government of past regimes including the current Unity Party government.
The Media Executive contended that the continued advertisement on the official presidential page of Liberia’s presidency was unacceptable and was undermining the economic growth of the media especially for newspapers which major income is advertisement.
“ Madam Fofana, you continued insistence of running advertisements for NGOs on the official website of the presidency and not allowing the traditional media to run those advertisements that could bring revenues to the media is unfair and tells us that you do not have any interest in the growth of the media. I’m surprised at your comment that the Unity Party government inherited it so therefore you cannot change it. This is wrong and unacceptable and there’s no need to be here madam Press Secretary.” Mr. Philipbert S. Browne, on behalf of the aggrieved publishers contended.
The media executives’ advertisements should be given to the newspapers in keeping with the Public Procurement Concession Commission, and as a source of revenues to the media.
Earlier, presidential press secretary Madam Kula V. Fofana, insisted that the Joseph Nyumah Boakai government inherited the conditions of advertisement and could not undo.
She further justified that the E-Mansion as part of the advertisement is satisfying others in the diaspora for jobs and contracts, which could not be removed-urging newspaper owners to build their online readership to attract readers. The statement by Miss Fofana exacerbated tension prompting the media executive’s walkout.
A swift intervention by Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah and team of Deputies and Assistant Ministers save the day against an entire walkout.
Minister Piah called for calm and urged the aggrieved parties to a resolution of the impasse and promised to meet after Mr. Philibert Browne and other aggrieved Media Executives.
Similar uproar of the Presidential Press secretary insensitivity towards the concerns of the local media was expressed at an inception meeting late May 2024 at the Corina Hotel in Monrovia. At that meeting, the media executives frowned at the press secretary constant subjection of media institutions to submission of police and tax clearances, and business registration before being accredited to cover events at the Executive mansion, something members of the media said was strange and an attempt to censor the media.
Political pundits feared that heighten tension between the media especially leading newspaper owners and publishers in the country might just undermine government information dissemination on key national priorities and the activities of the President to its citizenry.
