FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
5 September 2008
editorial
It is Foroyaa's principle that it is bad taste for Editors of Newspapers to trade derogatory remarks against each other on their different Media outlets. Foroyaa wishes to adhere to its principle of publishing the truth in good faith in the public interest. It also aims to be accountable and transparent.
This is precisely the reason why Foroyaa wrote an editorial in response to opinions expressed in an online paper to clarify matters. It did not mention the Online paper but simply dealt with the issues raised in a very straightforward and constructive manner. We acknowledged the difficulties being faced, explained the reasons and promised remedies which included the initiation of efforts to collect outstanding arrears in the payments for advertisements and subscriptions. This has been done as promised and the cooperation of our clients is magnificent. It is very strange that the Freedom newspaper did continue to unleash unprovoked attack on the personality of Sam Sarr and Halifa Sallah and did go as far as to paint a picture of an institution which is at war with itself. In Foroyaa there is no boss. There is room for consultation, debate, consensus and dissent and reporters and editors alike are not pushed around by management but do have their say in how things are to be managed. It is surprising that the man accused of having a tight lip, namely, Sam Sarr held a meeting with reporters and editors few days before the publication issued by freedom. They had the opportunity to express their views without fear. This hardly happens in any institution in the Gambia where the boss is always right. This is why the reporters wrote a reply to the article published by Freedom but were discouraged by Halifa from sending it since it may give the wrong impression that they are puppets to management. It took a long and persuasive discussion to convince the reporters who are very protective of Foroyaa because of the respectful working environment between reporters, editors and management.
It is important for the editor of the freedom newspaper to know that it is its publication which gave the impression that it received complaints from more than one reporter which motivated almost all the reporters and editors to express outrage. They had earlier lodged complaint to Sam Sarr that their articles were featuring in Freedom verbatim without their consent and to the utter dismay of the people they interview. Some claimed that the people they interview had called them to protest that they did not know that they were talking to the informers of the freedom newspaper and had asked for explanation. They therefore protested against the posture taken by freedom that they are giving report of their plight to the paper. This created suspicion as to who the informant is. Here too management has made itself clear that it will not encourage mob justice but cautioned reporters against any tendency to engage in information theft and sale to online papers.
The Freedom Newspaper refused to accept Foroyaa's explanation and proceeded to accuse management of not telling the whole truth. It conveyed that they have evidence that Halifa Sallah is a signatory to Foroyaa's bank account when Foroyaa has stated the contrary in its editorial and is witnessed by all the banks in the Gambia. The Freedom newspaper added that Foroyaa fuels Halifa Sallah's movement with a car which is utter fabrication. Foroyaa must say that the Editor of the Freedom Newspaper and his clandestine Bureau Chief are engage in a fishing expedition with the hope of finding faults to discredit Foroyaa. They have proven to us that they are specialists in writing fiction and not facts.
Freedom went as far as to sound very ridiculous when it indicates that it finds it shocking to learn that there was no English teacher hired to give tutoring to reporters even though the Editorial indicated that Foroyaa is unique in finding English Teachers to train some of its reporters and typists. The issue of transport fare was also mentioned which is already standard practice in Foroyaa.
Hence the whole article published by freedom is full of distortions. The only relevant fact mentioned is that reporters were paid piecemeal and the fact of the matter is that management has been engaged in maximum collection of arrears from customers in order to be able to remedy the situation. Hence instead of discrediting Foroyaa, Freedom and its Bureau chief have exposed themselves to be specialists in publishing half truths mixed with fabrications in order to give the impression that they know secrets which others may not be aware of.
Since the editor of the freedom newspaper claims to be nourished to tell the whole truth about the Jammeh regime and may we add that he is doing so from a comfortable arm chair, we will find him a suitable partner to debate with to eternity if he so chooses, one who is right here in the Gambia editing Foroyaa and making sure that reports are published which take the government to task, reports which Freedom's bureau chief has been stealing and sending to Freedom with frequent additions of fictitious opinions in order to pretend that he is aware of everything happening in the Gambia.. If what Ansumana says about Foroyaa is anything to go by then one should see Freedom's Bureau chief as a story teller and not a journalist. If the NIA is a serious organisation it certainly will not waste its time hunting for Bureau Chief Ansumana who is already discredited as a fabricator and plagiariser of the work of others. Foroyaa will also have an interview with Halifa Sallah on the Issues raised and we hope that Freedom will take up the challenges Foroyaa will pose in good faith for the public good. Our integrity is unassailable. The future will tell.
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i learned with great dismay n displeasure tht FREEDOM berau chief could ve d ghost n zeal 2 slander against one of d most respecteble news paper ie FOROYAA, which in turn is mandinka, a tribe in gambia,word,tht mean without being infidel n d worst of all wth inicial full backing of their editorial board.although their ie FREEDOM, quick respond 2 their bias editorial is step in d right direction,i still feel as insuficient, because,their disgrace berau chief should not only be dismiss from his job but also drive 2 d court of law 4 trial n if found guilty, should be made 2 dance 2 his tune equivalent 2 his crime, as it ld be a deterrent 4 other who ld be wrong doers 2morrow.FREEDOM should now be more carefull in whatever they re going 2 publish n from their source.A WORD 4 A WISE IS ENOUGH