The Final Report of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) says the Liberian media is corrupt and unprofessional and that therefore needs rehabilitation to meet the challenges of the nation's reconstruction. The report is therefore calling on the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and media practitioners to heed its diatribes on the media and take ownership of its recommendations for media improvement.

The report, which claims to rely on the views of panelists and discussants of a three-day TRC workshop on media assessment, says the Commission has determined that corruption was endemic in the Liberian media due to poverty and deliberate attempt on the part of some practitioners to flout media ethics. It is silent on the purpose for the workshop and what media organizations stood to benefit as the result of its holding. But it appears contented that even if the workshop was an end in itself, its findings could be instructive.

"The Liberian media suffers from a serious credibility problem...receiving money for news is a common practice in the country, which is serving to discredit the profession and jeopardize its ability to contribute meaningfully to the national reconstruction process," the reports claims.

It says even though kato giving and receiving has been an accepted culture between media practitioners and newsmakers, it has become pervasive to the discredit of the nation's Fourth Estate. Incidentally, "kato" is a corrupt form of the French "cadeau", which means present or gift tendered in exchange for favor done. Some say it is equivalent a tip often left on the table by restaurant users or promotional item given by salespeople as acts of appreciation or goodwill. But the TRC report says it is tantamount to corruption of the journalism profession.

"...and for many newsmakers, it is the only or perhaps the best way to get their stories in the papers or on the airwaves," the report claims. As though influenced by an experienced "katoist", observers say, the report notes that it had been honorable in the past for reporters and editors to receive kato in envelopes but that nowadays the katos were dished openly by newsmakers.

It is not clear what ethical difference the manner in which kato is given or taken makes to story planting and news slant, but the reports says worst still, kato today includes the sale of pages of newspaper or airtime.

"Newsmakers and media critics argue that for stories to make it to the pages of some newspapers, or to get airtime on some radio stations, money has to change hands," the report claims further. It then alleges that one unnamed panelist quoted the former head of the United Nations Mission in Liberia, Jacques Klein, as saying, 'ten dollars can get you any story in Liberian newspapers'."

As further proof of corruption, it quotes "some critics" as claiming that some of the more than 20 newspapers that exist today in Liberia were started primarily to extort money from newsmakers.

"Their appearance on newsstand is very irregular, being published only when they've successfully sold news pages of the paper or receive ads from one of the local businesses or non governmental organizations," the report says.

Ethical challenges

Also to blame for the corruption, it says, is the lack of codes of conduct in some radio, television, and newspaper establishments, made worse by poverty due to underemployment. It quoted the all-knowing panelists as noting that because ethical challenges face the Liberian media, it is at its worse than it had been at any other time in the history of journalism in Liberia.

"Liberian journalists are among the lowest paid in West Africa with many making a meager $20 to $30 a month. A bag of rice, the country's food stable, costs about $65, meaning many reporters do not make enough to provide basic necessities for the survival of their families," the reports says. It notes further that even those who get paid were luck for a number of others including freelancers oftentimes do not get pay for their works.

Poverty versus Mismanagement and Low Income

Whether that should justify kato taking, the report does not say, but it notes that low income was a central question for media efficiency. It quotes editors and managers as blaming low or no payment of employees on the undercapitalization of most media organizations and poor circulation and sales in a country where a newspaper costs as low as $20 LD or depending on the prevailing US to LD rate, as low as US$0.25 per copy.

Ninety-nine percent of Liberia's print media relies on private power generation and commercial printing presses that demand cut-throat prices to print an eight-page newspaper. Media observers say the bulk of the print media's income goes to paying for printing and power generation of course at the expense of personnel compensation.

In the electronic media, they say, the bulk of the oftentimes meager and hard-to-come-by income is wasted on high fuel prices to run private generators, obtain and maintain modern broadcast equipment, and update office and personnel costs. But the report does not seem to think that these offer any problems at all as it inadvertently or deliberately skips the prime question of meager resources versus huge demands for printing, power generation, rent, and salary and dwells on circulation.

"Another problem is the poor circulation, mostly limited to Monrovia and surrounding cities and counties. The New Democrat has the largest circulation with 3,500 copies a day, followed by the Daily Observer with about 2,000 copies," the report notes. It says about 75 to 80 percent of newspaper revenue comes from advertisements but that the slow reemergence of business and the slow awakening of the economy was hampering advertisement income for media organizations.

Currently the largest advertisers, it says, are the UN mission and other UN agencies and international NGOs. It is not clear whether these organizations are dealing fairly and squarely with the media, but the report conceded the argument of managing editors and publishers that they do not make enough from ad sales to pay their employees relatively decent salaries.

"Participants argued that these factors contribute to the corruption seen in the media today," it says. But that is not the whole picture, it says, noting that counterargument indicates that some media organizations were actually getting "sizable" ad income but were mismanaging it and failing to compensate their employees.

"They blame this on poor management, noting that many newspapers and radio stations may not even have business plans and those who run them lack the requisite administrative skills," the reports claims. Even while these problem continue to assail the media, the report says, it is under obligation to provide a space for open and critical discussions and debates on national issues.

Training and Professionalism

The reports said even though the media is increasingly becoming an educational tool - promoting local development in a number of areas, its work continues to be hampered by the lack of professionals. It notes an active loss of the media's trained and experienced manpower to death during the civil war years, migration to greener pastures in foreign countries, and cross-carpeting to NGOs and the UN system operating in Liberia.

The report concedes to not having the statistics, but it insists that there is evidence of a young, inexperienced workforce with very little training currently filling the void.

"Many of the media practitioners in the country today lack the basics - conceptualizing a story, pursuing the news, and general newsgathering and writing skills. In fact a constant refrain during the workshop was that Liberian journalists 'lack the nose for news'," it says.

It says most media houses rely on press releases for news because reporters lack the capacity to look beyond the press releases or other narrowly defined sources of news to conduct their own investigation.

"One glaring evidence of the absence of adequate training: many of today's newspapers are poorly produced and stacked with grammatical errors. There's also the question of how accurate some of the stories are. At issue, the reporter's ability or lack thereof to clearly portray the newsmaker's point of view," the report further claims.

PUL's Intervention

It then notes that all this will go away and the media will get back its dignity if the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and media practitioners take the criticisms in good faith and religiously follow the TRC recommendations for media improvement. The PUL can do this amongst other activities, the report says, by forming partnerships with the Ministry of Information, the Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP), and the Liberian Media Center in order to accomplish various aspects of its recommendation.

"The Liberian Media Center should work with the Press Union of Liberia to organize a business development seminar for editors and media managers," it says in recommendation. The goal of the seminar, is says should be to improve the marketing and business structure of media organizations to help them become financially sustainable, addressing the problem of poverty in the media. Neither the PUL nor any media house has so far commented on the Commission's report.

The TRC's engagement with the media considered certain realities as expressed in the three day workshop spent with panelists assessing today's media culture in the country, from the level of press freedom to the many challenges at hand and the media's readiness to contribute to the process of national development and reconstruction.

There was a consensus that the press in Liberia (print and broadcast) is perhaps at its most difficult period in history, plagued by a myriad of issues resulting from the fourteen year civil war. As panelist Abdullai Kamara of the group, Journalists for Human Rights, put it, "Like all other sectors of Liberia, the media was completely devastated..." by the conflict. The ensuing problems could be summarized into the following sub-topics:

Workshop participants and panelists agreed that the media's role in the national reconstruction process is crucial. It provides a space for open and critical discussions and debates on national issues, and in the case of community radio, is increasingly becoming an educational tool - promoting local development in a number of areas. But to more effectively take on its responsibilities in the national reconstruction process, the media itself needs to be rehabilitated, addressing the points noted above.

A. Lack of Trained Manpower: As already noted the Liberian media suffered immensely from the civil war, losing a large percentage of its trained or more experienced manpower. Today many of those with any formal education in journalism and other veterans of the craft are either practicing out of the country or have taken up employment with NGOs or government agencies. There are no statistics on how many of the best of Liberian journalists were lost to the war in one way or another, but there's evidence of a rather young, inexperienced workforce with very little training currently filling the void.

Many of the media practitioners in the country today lack the basics - conceptualizing a story, pursuing the news, and general newsgathering and writing skills. In fact a constant refrain during the workshop was that Liberian journalists "lack the nose for news." For the most part, many of the media houses depend on press releases, which in some instances are rewritten to serve as news stories. The young journalists do not seem to have the capacity to look beyond the press releases or other narrowly defined sources of news to conduct their own investigation. A panelist from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission noted an example of this.

During the TRC's outreach to the leeward counties, a number of journalists accompanied members of the commission. Their primary assignment: to report on activities of the commission in those counties. But as the TRC member noted, there were several other stories that were very evident during those trips - stories that went unnoticed and unreported by all but one correspondent who came back to base with at least one non-TRC related report.

Some panelists and participants also blamed such narrow focus on other factors like individual political interests or the pervasive culture of corruption in the media, which will be discussed later. One glaring evidence of the absence of adequate training: many of today's newspapers are poorly produced and stacked with grammatical errors. There's also the question of how accurate some of the stories are. At issue: the reporter's ability or lack thereof to clearly portray the newsmaker's point of view.

The University of Liberia is the leading institution of training for journalists in the country. There are of course short term capacity building workshops and seminars conducted by the Press Union of Liberia, other media advocacy groups, NGOs and individuals. But the University's Mass Communications Department has been in the forefront of any long term training program. However its curriculum is out of step with today's reality. It was drawn up back in the early 80's and has not had any significant overhaul since then, leaving some to contend that acquiring a journalism degree from the university is a waste of time.

B. Ethical Transgressions: The Liberian media suffers from a serious credibility problem. According to workshop panelists, receiving money for news is a common practice in the country, which is serving to discredit the profession and jeopardize its ability to contribute meaningfully to the national reconstruction process. This is not new to the Liberian press. "Katos" has always been a part of the media culture, but in the years since the war it has become so pervasive, and for many newsmakers, it is the only or perhaps the best way to get their stories in the papers or on the airwaves. In fact another more troubling aspect of this practice has emerged during this post-conflict era.

Initially, "Katos" was mostly limited to reporters or editors receiving money (envelopes) when they show up for press conferences, interviews or some event in the pursuit of news stories. But today, it's been expanded to include the sale of pages of newspapers or airtime. Newsmakers and media critics argue that for stories to make it to the pages of some newspapers, or to get airtime on some radio stations, money has to change hands. One panelist quoted the former head of the United Nations Mission in Liberia , Jacques Klein as saying, "ten dollars can get you any story in Liberian newspapers."

Another panelist, Kenneth Best of the Daily Observer newspaper, recalled being approached by a diplomat asking how much the Observer charged to get a story on the front page. The New Democrat's Tom Kamara recounted a similar incident. In his case he was asked the same question by a fellow journalist who was apparently acting on behalf of a newsmaker. While both the Observer and Democrat may have declined any cash offer to publish stories, other newspapers regularly accept such offers. Some critics contend that some of the more than twenty newspapers that exist today were started primarily to extort money from newsmakers. Their appearance on newsstand is very irregular, being published only when they've successfully sold news pages of the paper or receive ads from one of the local businesses or non governmental organizations.

C. Poverty in the Media: One panelist noted that the ethical issues facing Liberian journalists are perhaps the most serious, saying because of this problem the press today is at its worst. The question at hand is why is corruption so pervasive in today's media culture? A number of reasons were advanced. Some blamed the lack of adequate training, while others contended that training alone is not a solution. As the New Democrat's Tom Kamara pointed out "ethics can be taught in the classroom, but you cannot teach someone to be ethical." Most participants attributed the problem to the malaise of poverty in the media brought about by a number of factors. Liberian journalists are among the lowest paid in West Africa with many making a meager $20 to $30 a month. A bag of rice, the country's food stable, costs about $65, meaning many reporters do not make enough to provide basic necessities for the survival of their families. But those who get paid are the lucky ones. Some reporters at the workshop revealed that a number of newspapers often fail to pay their employees or freelance journalists who do occasional work for them.

Some editors and managers blame the low pay scale on a myriad of problems. They insist that most media organizations are undercapitalized, barely making enough to keep operating. Newspaper sales are poor. Each paper costs about $20 LD, and in a country where the majority of the people are unemployed, that amount is beyond the reach of many. Another problem is the poor circulation, mostly limited to Monrovia and surrounding cities and counties. The New Democrat has the largest circulation with 3,500 copies a day, followed by the Daily Observer with about 2,000 copies.

About 75 to 80 percent of newspaper revenue comes from advertisements. Panelists noted that the ad culture has still not recovered from the civil war. Businesses are slowly re-emerging and economic activity is just beginning to pick up. As a result, many of the ads that appear in the papers come from the United Nations Mission and other UN agencies and international non governmental organizations. Ask managing editors and publishers, and some tell you that they do not make enough from ad sales to pay their employees relatively decent salaries. Participants argued that these factors contribute to the corruption seen in the media today. During the discussions another school of thought emerged. Some critics argued that some media organizations generate sizable sums of money from ads. Yet they fail to pay their employees well.

They blame this on poor management, noting that many newspapers and radio stations may not even have business plans and those who run them lack the requisite administrative skills. Another issue is the debate over ad rates. Some managers see the need for standardizing rates, arguing that some newspapers may lower their rates considerably to attract clients. That creates an unfair advantage as the papers with the most circulation will then be forced to match the low rates.

CONFRONTING THE PROBLEMS:

There were many suggestions advanced during discussions on how to solve the many problems faced by today's journalists. Some participants argued that certain standards be set to address the pervasive lack of professionalism. Many of today's reporters have no formal training in journalism or related disciplines. In fact, most of them are only high school graduates, products of an education system that itself needs to be rehabilitated, prompting critics at the workshop to suggest a minimum education requirement. Others argued against this, suggesting that would be stifling freedom and limiting the rights of individuals.

Participants called for the Press Union of Liberia to play a central role in addressing many of these problems. But they lamented what one panelist called the lack of a "functional strategic direction within the organization." Another called the union a dysfunctional organization. The PUL has since held elections, and the former Secretary General, Peter Quaqua was elected president, promising to reform the union, once again giving it a voice in today's society.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The PUL, Media Institutions, Journalists and media practitioners should take ownership of the TRC Recommendations and use every opportunity promulgate the Recommendations for the understanding of the general populace and to serve as watch dogs over the implementation of the Report.

The PUL and other media advocacy groups should launch a campaign to discourage newsmakers from paying for news.

The PUL should encourage those media institutions that have not yet established a code of ethics to guide their employees to do so immediately or should adopt the PUL's code of ethics. The PUL must encourage every organization to begin to take more stringent disciplinary actions against staff members who violate the established or adopted code.

The PUL and other media advocacy groups should begin to work with NGOs and UN organizations to consolidate capacity building efforts. While many donor agencies and NGOs recognize the need to help rebuild the media in the country, many are beginning to complain about the fragmented nature of the many training and development programs and are starting to question their effectiveness. A more cohesive or centralized approach may be what is needed.

The Liberian Media Center should work with the Press Union of Liberia to organize a business development seminar for editors and media managers. The goal: to improve the marketing and business structure of media organizations to help them become financially sustainable, addressing the problem of poverty in the media. Topics to be covered: raising revenue, business structure, salaries, etc.

The PUL and other media advocacy groups should seek the requisite expertise to begin immediate work on drawing up a proposal for the establishment of a mid level training program for journalists.

The new leaders of the Press Union of Liberia should take action to revitalize the union.

They must seek capacity building opportunities for the leadership and members. What's at stake here is the future of journalism in Liberia and the ability and capacity of the PUL to take the lead in the rehabilitation of the media in this country. The union must also more actively engage its members. It may seek the counsel of some of the older more experienced journalists (among them, former leaders). The new leadership could establish an advisory team to include some of these more experienced journalists.

That an expert body, including the PUL, other media advocacy and research groups like the Center for Media Studies and Peace Building, CEMESP, and the Ministry of Information, should work to identify repressive media laws, all other laws that infringe on basic freedoms and regulations currently on the books and propose to the appropriate authorities that all such provisions be decriminalized. The laws in question, together with a general lack of respect for due process, were in part responsible for the abuses suffered by journalists and media houses in the past. Additionally, they are out of step with the new atmosphere of freedom enjoyed by the media in post conflict Liberia.