By Amin Kef Sesay
The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) has on the 9th June 2021 recognized President Dr. Julius Maada Bio as Press Freedom Champion during an occasion that took place at State House. Leadership of SLAJ paid tribute to his Government’s repeal of the obnoxious 1965 law successive Governments used to jail journalists.
“I want to start by congratulating SLAJ on the celebration of their Golden Jubilee Anniversary. This is a great milestone for any professional group. But what makes it interesting is the fact that we certainly did this together. At a time when we have just repealed Part 5 of the Public Order Act of 1965,” President Bio said.
He underscored that the achievement is important for the media and Government’s commitment to free speech in the country, adding that when he made it a party manifesto it was not just lip service. He said he believes that democracy must go with the free press and that SLAJ and Government could be critical friends who respect and appreciate the place of a responsible Press.
“That is why I decided to take the bold step. So, by honouring me with this, as a champion of Free Press, I think it’s important for me because it was already a commitment I made in my manifesto. But I think I’d like to thank you for thinking about that, because many Governments had an opportunity to do it. But they did not have the strength of mind to take on certain sorts of challenges. Of course, there were critical views within my own Government and elsewhere.
“But it can be a useful part of a healthy democracy. We cannot have just one voice, we should have a dissenting voice, especially when those dissenting views are responsible, I think, to give us the opportunity to rethink some of the decisions we make and add value to the decisions we make.
“I am never afraid of dissenting views. And maybe that is one of the reasons why I was never afraid to really take on this challenge. And as a matter of fact, everybody is a journalist in the world now with the new media. So that is why we talk about responsible and professional journalists, who can take critical views, synthesise them and make them useful for public consumption, rather than just commenting or stating what a lot of us do today on social media.
“I want to use this opportunity also to extend my gratitude to the Minister of Information and Communications, Mohamed Swaray, who has been tenacious, who believed in what I said. And despite the many obstacles that he came across, he held on to my promise and delivered on it. So, I want to thank him and the leadership of the Ministry. It was never easy. And we will continue to make efforts to make sure that our country is a better place. It is not enough. Our efforts as a Government are not enough,” he said.
On that note, I want to thank you for considering this award. And I will definitely assure you that insofar as I remain here, we will be critical friends and we will provide the support necessary for you to fight not only to practice but to thrive and be a better organisation. Thank you and I hope that friendship continues,” he ended.
Minister of Information and Communications, who declared the purpose of the event, said the President had rekindled the trust and confidence in the leadership of SLAJ and journalists, particularly as it relates to freedom of the press and dignity.
“His Excellency they singled you out for recognition for your relentless efforts and abiding commitment to ensuring a free and unshackled media. You have done a lot for the media. You have dared where others have failed, even though you remain the most castigated, the most vilified the most lampooned presidential candidate in the history of our country. Nobody imagined that you will be rejected as to eventually become the cornerstone, bringing an end to 55 years of speculation, 55 years of trials and tribulations for the media in Sierra Leone,” he said.
President of SLAJ, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, in his statement started by saying that they wished the President had attended their Golden Jubilee AGM in Bo City to receive the Press Freedom Award in person.
“We had wanted the whole national and regional executives as well as the entire membership of SLAJ to physically join in expressing our profound thanks and appreciation for the repeal of the criminal libel laws.
“We wanted to demonstrate, in our own special way, our grateful thanks, so that you can also join in feeling that sense of freedom, which only those who have been to jail can relate to. For it is when you have been locked up and then released that you can fully appreciate what freedom means and how valuable it is for that fundamental human right to be respected and protected.
“Your Excellency, all Presidents and Junta Heads of State we have had in this country, including your very self, have jailed journalists using the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law, but none was brave enough to repeal the law. This was a law that shackled the Sierra Leone media and journalists for 55 odd years,” he said.
The SLAJ President disclosed that the criminal libel law was used 99% by successive Governments and politicians to cower the media and intimidate and incarcerate journalists to escape being held to account and to clamp down on dissenting views.
He added that the law prevented women from coming into the journalism profession and aspire for leadership positions in the media industry, while also preventing private sector investment in the media and rendering the industry poor.
In another development, the Executive Members of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) met with the EU Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Tom Vens ,on the 8th June 2021, at the Delegation’s Leicester Peak office.
Purpose of the team’s visit was to present an award to the EU Delegation for supporting SLAJ and for advocating for the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law, which criminalises free speech and undermines press freedom in Sierra Leone.
The citation on the award reads: “For your support to SLAJ, and Free Speech and Press Freedom initiatives in Sierra Leone notably the Repeal of the Criminal Libel Law.”
President of SLAJ, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, while presenting the award and a survey report titled, “Impact of COVID- 19 on Journalism in Sierra Leone” said SLAJ recognises the significant role the European Union has played to the sustainability of peace, democratic governance, protection of fundamental human rights and its overall contribution to the country’s development trajectory.
He said SLAJ and EU have collaborated on various projects in the past relating to supporting the training of journalists on the environment and climate change reporting, World Press Freedom Day symposium, EU Beach Clean-up event and the recent disinformation campaign on COVID-19 among others.
He said these support have remarkably contributed to the development of journalism and the media landscape in the country, which SLAJ strongly recognises and appreciates as the association celebrates its golden jubilee this year.
Receiving the award, Ambassador Vens said the EU is honoured to have been considered for the award and appreciated the strong collaboration between the two institutions over the years. He, however, noted that EU was initially criticised for such a collaboration as it was seen to compromise the independence of journalism, which has never been the case.
He said the EU provides broad support to CSOs including SLAJ to continue to build a professional media landscape, in view of the critical role journalists to ensure transparency and accountability in society.
He congratulated the President on SLAJ’s 50th Anniversary celebrations and expressed hope that the journey of press freedom and free speech will continue in Sierra Leone.
During SLAJ’s Annual General Meeting Golden Jubilee celebrations in Bo on Saturday 5th May 2021, Nasralla particularly commended the European Union for swiftly intervening by providing funds to SLAJ/IRN to roll out a bi-weekly nationwide radio and television programme specifically aimed at addressing fake news and misinformation around COVID-19 circulating on social media and messaging platforms.
The public education campaign which ran from June to October 2020, significantly contributed to fight disinformation on COVID-19, through the talk shows, the dissemination of myth busters, infographics and educational videos.
Since the outbreak of the Corona virus disease in Sierra Leone, there was a serious issue with false and misleading information circulating on social media platforms, which negatively affected efforts to contain the disease, because the public could not distinguish between the fake news and credible information on COVID-19, thereby undermining official guidelines.
The four months programme supported the crucial role of the media in providing the public with accurate and factual information during the COVID-19 crisis and in increasing social media literacy and responsible communication amongst the public.
The programme was also live streamed on the main television stations and EU/SLAJ/IRN Facebook platforms and further supported the National Response Plan Pillar for Communication and Social Mobilisation by relaying official COVID-19 updates, guidelines and practical advice to the audience.
President Nasralla said the programme was successful due to the involvement of a variety of stakeholders – including CSOs, medical practitioners, Government officials, youth, women, key influencers and representatives of political parties who participated in the live talk shows – and the identification and debunking of recurring narratives circulating on social media related to COVID-19.
Until now, the European Union remains a strategic partner to Sierra Leone and has provided continued support, notably by repurposing its funding to CSOs in order to focus on epidemic containment and recovery measures and through various interventions in support of community initiatives.
