By Amin Kef Sesay
The Ministry of Information and Communications, in actualizing one of its core planned institutional activities, convened its annual Media and Civil Society Organization Engagement at the Bo Inn, in Bo City, Southern Sierra Leone from the 25th to the 28th November, 2021.
In attendance were the Minister of Information and Communications, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, a cross section of the Ministry’s staff, some Government officials and representatives from various Media Houses and Civil Society Organizations in the country.
During the course of the engagement, the President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, delivered a statement.
He said SLAJ is very pleased to be part of the initiative by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) to bring Government officials to sit with the Media and CSOs and give account of the progress they have made in achieving the manifesto promises of the Government.
“We were here last year at this same venue for this same program,” he stated furthering how SLAJ has cooperated with the MIC on several fronts and have achieved great things for the Sierra Leone media through dialogue and consultations.
He pointed out how in 2020 they worked together to achieve the historic repeal of the obnoxious criminal libel law saying it took SLAJ 50 very long years to achieve that victory maintaining how for media practitioners that is a huge achievement.
Ahmed Sahid Nasralla informed the audience that they worked together to see the enactment of the IMC Act 2020 which now requires media employers to pay their reporters above the minimum wage and also pay their NASSIT contributions.
“We also worked together to get a balanced Cyber-security and Crime Act 2021 signed into law by His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio to protect our cyberspace and promote responsible use of social media,” he also revealed adding that they worked together to fulfill the Government’s promise of annual subvention to SLAJ and using the opportunity to draw attention that this year’s allocation has still not been disbursed.
The SLAJ President also mentioned how they are also working to have land for SLAJ headquarters or for SLAJ to acquire the depreciating Daily Mail Building at Rawdon Street, Freetown.
“We are further working to host an investment forum for the media as an action point following the repeal of the criminal libel law,” he stated touching on how just several days ago President Bio signed the Global Pledge on Media Freedom on behalf of Sierra Leone, making the country the 5th to do so.
He affirmed that in the area of free expression and free media (and media pluralism) as a country we are doing very well, and as such SLAJ commends the Government for that.
However, he categorically spelt it out that the one area media practitioners have not cooperated as partners is the Government getting favorable coverage or reporting in the general media.
“This is not to suggest that the Government requested for favourable coverage in return,” the SLAJ President made a clarification.
He said despite all the achievements the Government has made in the area of free media (and other sectors), however, the general media have maintained a position of constant suspicion and criticism of the Government.
“This is what we do as media and it is the right thing to do to put Government on its toes,” he averred adding that no matter what good a Government does, the media want to know how, who and who were involved by way of support, what procedures were followed, and above all why? And the media will conclude that there is still room for improvement rather than praise-singing the achievement,” he puts it contextually maintaining that it is the nature of the job media practitioners do.
He said as they are gathered as media and CSOs to listen to Government officials, which according to him, is good but it is also good to let Government understand their own side of the story.
The SLAJ President said such is so because after the engagement many Government officials will not take calls from media practitioners or reply to their messages.
“I have heard Government officials give the excuse that journalists harass them for favors rather than for journalistic purposes,” he highlighted maintaining that such is not always the case, if that excuse is anything to go by.
“When we call or text it is most times about doing a honest story,” he underscored adding how journalists want to crosscheck information, or to get a quote, because it is part of their job to source their stories credibly.
He continued that in the end, it might be a promotional story, or a story putting a Ministry or Agency or Office in a good light.
“So please take our calls and respond to our text messages seeking relevant information about the work you do,” he appealed.
The President of SLAJ said during the COVID-19 pandemic they have seen Government’s intervention in various sectors to cushion the impact in those sectors.
He hammered home the point that People, including the Government, think journalists are fine but stated that the reality is they are not fine.
“10 to 15 years ago the price of a bag of rice was around 30 to 50 thousand Leones; today it is about 500 thousand Leones a bag,” he said stating that as journalists they have families too and are bread winners of their families arguing that it is difficult in light of low revenues for media houses.
He also stated that 10 to 15 years ago journalists paid around 3 thousand United States Dollars for office rent, that was about 3 million in Leones but said today, that same 3 thousand dollars is about 30 million Leones.
“The ink used by the newspaper industry, 10 to 15 years ago was about 20 thousand Leones, today, it is about 120 thousand Leones; the newsprint used by the industry was about 12 thousand per pkt, today, it is about 120 thousand Leones,” he lamented adding how radio stations, especially community radio stations, are struggling with overhead costs against very, very low revenue generation or income.
The President said it is the understanding that Government is providing support to some community radio stations, but said they would have loved for such support to go through SLAJ or the IMC so that the perception of ‘political gifts’ is avoided).
Ahmed Sahid Nasralla pointed out that when one puts all of those increment within the context of journalists’ source of livelihood- ADVERTISING, one begins to see the reality of the situation.
He said 10 to 15 years ago they changed the price journalists charged for adverts in their newspapers and for radio stations. He lamented that today those charges are still the same despite all the astronomical increment in the prices of the raw materials they use.
“Even the cover price of newspapers is still the same for many years now,” he further bemoaned adding that when adverts are given to newspapers it usually takes 3 to 4 months to pay for them stating that in fact some Government offices don’t pay at all.
He continued that even when some institutions pay, some of their employees in charge of placing those adverts demand commission of 15 to 20 percent.
“If you don’t honour that be rest assured that your media house will not be considered next time,” he laid the situation bare.
He maintained that the pro-opposition media, as well as independently critical media, hardly benefit from Government advertisements.
“So I encourage you all to ponder on our situation and let it be in your minds as you go back to your various offices,” the SLAJ President reasoned out.
On the Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) and the Independent Media Commission (IMC) he said those are institutions that are critical to the operation of the media.
“I appeal to the MIC, the line Ministry, to make a case for these institutions to be adequately funded to perform their functions efficiently,” he implored.
Addressing colleague journalists, he stressed on the essence of maintaining professionalism and ethical behavior at all times in the execution of their sacred duty.
“Avoid irresponsible practices such as blackmail, character assassination, accusing people wrongly, resist and reject the temptation to do the bidding of politicians,” Ahmed Sahid Nasralla admonished.
He extended thanks to the Minister of Information and Communications and his team for the initiative imploring continuing to work together to make it better and meaningful.
