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Liberia: Media Center Critiques TRC Coverage
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The Analyst (Monrovia)
24 March 2008
Posted to the web 24 March 2008
The Liberia Media Center has released preliminary findings on the media coverage of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission public hearings in Liberia. In a thirty-seven page report released on Thursday, LMC said overall, the media should be commended for generally staying above the fray in the conduct of their work.
It said most of the language used in the various reports reflected the language of the TRC. In a press statement distributed to the media, LMC said comparatively, the broadcast sector outperformed the print media by ensuring that news and information were thoroughly balanced in a 2-1 ratio.
The release quoting the findings, said some of the reports from both the print and broadcast media violated Articles 12 and 23 of the Press Union of Liberia Code of Conduct. Article 23 states "Journalists should not publish or broadcast any report or write-up affecting the reputation of an individual or an organization without a chance to reply. That is unfair and should be avoided".
"Most of those accused during public hearings were not contacted for reaction, while some of the accused voluntarily reacted but their responses to the allegations received little prominence compared to when the story was first told.
Journalists in very rare instances utilize information regarding the mandate, structure, functions and general legal framework of the TRC in providing context to testimony, emerging developments and stories" the release quotes the findings.
It claimed there were very minimum follow-ups on stories from the hearings and hailed media efforts to provide lengthy investigation into allegation linking famed musician and current Executive Mansion Aide, Sundaygar Dearboy to atrocities allegedly committed during the war. But the Center said it was alarmed by the fact the investigation was facilitated by the TRC.
LMC has asked the TRC to avoid been seen as facilitating the practice of investigative journalism. "Investigative reporting should be demand driven and supported by media institutions themselves so as not to compromise the integrity of their investigation" the release noted.
While congratulating the New Democrat Newspaper for devoting huge space and conducting follow-ups on a number of their reports and the quality of their newspaper, it encouraged the paper to clearly delineate its news from its opinion pages.
"In covering the Charles Taylor Trial and TRC, it is hard to tell when a story is news or opinion. News stories are often linked to feature pages and do sometimes take the form of opinions, with a visible slant seen in some of its coverage."
It frowned on the paper's consistent publication of gruesome pictures and said the New Democrat published twice as much gruesome pictures compared to all newspapers combined.
The release said, LMC acknowledged strides by the Daily Observer, The News, the Heritage and The Inquirer in their coverage of the TRC but said they needed to improve their contents and provide multiple perspectives to their reports.
It praised the Catholic-run Radio Veritas for its exceptional coverage of the hearings. It said the station devoted more airtime on aggregate and recorded more diversity numbers.
It also praised Star Radio for its February coverage and has encouraged ELBC and Truth FM to review their broadcast schedule as they failed to air seventy-five (75) and forty-five (45) of their news bulletins respectively.
In other developments the center has called President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf not to abandon her earlier pledge to face the TRC. "This in our view will lend further credibility to the process, provide the necessary momentum for its finalization and improve public perception of the TRC process" the findings noted.
LMC also wants the TRC to probe news reports of fighting between two Commissioners during public hearings in River Gee County, as it was important for the Commission to lead by example.
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The project if funded with support from UNESCO Paris and the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).
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