The Editor,

I write to categorically reject and challenge the insinuation, as contained in FrontPageAfrica's lead story (Volume 8 No.466 edition of Speaking Truth to Power - In Front of Guests - Comes with a Price; Strained Ties Resurrected?), written by Managing Editor Rodney Sieh, that the Executive Mansion Press Office "broke away from its normal procedure of making the full text of both the national orator's remarks and the President's remarks available to all media institutions immediately after the speeches have been presented."

As Communications Director of the Public Affairs Department of the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, it is incumbent upon me to set the record straight, so that this falsehood is not repeated, as happened Tuesday on some of the local radio broadcasts.

According to Mr. Sieh, only President Sirleaf's speech was distributed to the media, while FrontPageAfrica and other media institutions did not get a copy of the National Orator's speech and received inquiries from several readers as to why it was not published in print editions on Monday, July 29, 2013.

I wish to state clearly that it is our responsibility, in the Public Affairs Department, to disseminate the President's speech to the media at the end of any program she attends, making any changes to her prepared text before releasing same. Having worked directly with Madam President on her Independence Day Remarks, that text was already in my possession and, having inserted the changes she made during her delivery, my office was able to release the statement to the media shortly afterwards, posting it on the Executive Mansion Website and sending it out to our media list.

Such was not the case with the National Oration delivered by Cllr. Varney Sherman. The Public Affairs Department was not given either a soft or a hard copy of his text, and we saw it as his prerogative to share it with the media as he saw fit. Nevertheless, in the interest of dissemination of information to the public, our office contacted Cllr. Sherman to request a copy of the text so that it could be disseminated in time to make the Monday, July 29 edition of the papers.

Here is what we did to facilitate media coverage: At the end of the Official Program at the Tubmanburg City Hall, and just before Cllr. Sherman boarded his vehicle, the Managing Editor of The Inquirer newspaper, Mr. Philip Wesseh, and the Deputy Presidential Press Secretary, Mr. J. Wesley Washington, met with him and requested hard or soft copies of his Oration. He said he had only one hard copy and had already given it to somebody, but promised to email the soft copy to our various email accounts. As soon as the Deputy Press Secretary arrived in Monrovia late Friday evening, he emailed Cllr. Sherman to remind him to send the soft copy of his Oration so that it could be shared with media colleagues.

On Saturday afternoon, July 27, when he had not received the text, Mr. Washington dialed Cllr. Sherman's mobile phone to follow up. Cllr Sherman picked up, but said that he was spending the weekend in Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County, and did not have Internet access there. He promised that upon his return to Monrovia Sunday evening, he would share his National Oration with all those who wanted it.

Following this conversation with Cllr. Sherman, and knowing how interested the media was in the Oration, Mr. Washington took it upon himself to painstakingly transcribe the one hour, twenty-minute Address, aware that Cllr. Sherman had departed, on several occasions, from his prepared text. As is the practice of the Public Affairs Department, we do not release a statement until we have checked it against delivery, and we then release the "as delivered" text. This is what we did - even with Mr. Washington sick in bed with malaria - and the verbatim text was completed on Monday, July 29, and was immediately disseminated. It was not until late Sunday evening, July 28, that we received a soft copy of the Oration from Cllr. Sherman, at which time we were already preparing the text, as delivered.

I believe that the effort of my Department to make the text of the National Oration available to the media has been exemplary. There has been a long-standing tradition of having this Department distribute the National Oration; however, this is only possible if we receive it from the Orator. We endeavor to facilitate the work of media practitioners, even when, as journalists, it is your responsibility to go out and get the story and get the relevant texts. You cannot sit there as a spectator in the belief that the Public Affairs Department will provide the story and/or statement. The onus is upon you, the media institutions that cover programs, to be attentive, take notes and record the event, just in case a copy of the speech is not available, you have something to fall back on. This is Journalism 101. This is fundamental!

Moreover, if your institution is interested in publishing a speech, and don't have a soft copy, start transcribing your recording of it, as we did. That's what good journalists do.

And so Mr. Sieh, and to Talk Radio, I trust that in the same way you castigated my Department for conspiring to bury the Oration of Cllr. Varney Sirleaf, you will give me equal time by publishing and/or airing this rebuttal, as the case may be. And next time, don't just jump to conclusions; ask questions. That's what real journalists do.

Respectfully,

Shirley N. Brownell Communications Director/Head of Public Affairs

Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs

Executive Mansion

Monrovia, Liberia

EDITOR'S NOTE

It has been customary for some newspapers including FrontPageAfrica to publish verbatim speeches made by orators in the annual Independence Day festivities. Our reporters covering the ceremony did have audio and video recordings of the speech but the speech was needed for publication in its entirety as was done in our Tuesday, July 30, 2013 edition and which has been done over the past six years as provided by the Executive Mansion. The full text as delivered is important to avoid distortion or misinterpretation We are quite aware of our duties, responsibilities and commitment to our readers.