African Media and Conflict
By Abiodun Onadipe and David Lord
Part Four - In Their Own Words
African Conflicts and the Media - By Elizabeth Hoff
African journalism was born out of the dire need for political emancipation from the colonial masters. The objective was to gain political power for the peoples of Africa. In other words, there was strong opposition to the established order of the day. Thus, the profession was founded on "advocacy journalism" -- a process which demanded "position journalism" and vociferous agitation for political independence.
This brand of journalism contributed immensely towards the overall independence of African countries. Many leaders of Africa's independence movement established newspapers to give voice to their campaigns. But this type of journalism -- even after the initial aims had been achieved -- became the established norm and culture for media personnel and had an indelible influence on the minds of the mass of Africans after independence. In word and in deed, it was a smooth switch from attacking one established authority to another.
It is a fact that the newspaper that comes up with the most scurrilous scandals on the political leadership of the day is a best seller. This is to say that the readership is more enticed and attracted by the newspaper which comes up to attack and expose the established authority -- positively or negatively. Over the years, the African journalist has succeeded in creating a readership culture that was often looking for the profane within their socio-political and economic structures. Based on the above, what Africans enjoyed from their media has often been ‘position journalism’.
In the case of the broadcast media, until the early 1990s, when the democratic whirlwind started blowing across West Africa, electronic media institutions were all state-controlled, and journalists working for both television and radio adopted self-censorship rules for survival.
From this point, it is easy to see why politicians, particularly those in opposition, always found it easy to use media practitioners cynically to achieve their political goals.
During the early days of the Liberian crisis, the Liberian media, based mainly in Monrovia, found it difficult defining what role it was to play. For one, the media largely lacked knowledge of war reporting. This soon led the press into problems with the government, and for some time, friction developed between the former administration and the press, which in most cases seemed to side with the people against the government as the war gradually moved nearer Monrovia. The total breakdown of law and order and the displacement of journalists, especially into areas controlled by the then National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) and other factions saw partisan journalism come into play.
The Liberian media then came under severe criticism for taking sides in the conflict. Some of the basis for these criticisms were vividly seen during the initial stages of the conflict, when journalists operating in areas occupied by a particular faction were left with no choice but to report in the interest of that faction or face death. Journalists in Gbarnga, the headquarters of the former NPFL, were referred to as the Gbarnga-based press, while those working in Monrovia were the Monrovia-based press, who either reported in the interest of a faction or the interim government. Thus, most media practitioners in the two areas, with the exception of a few who chose not to report at all, apparently because of their ethical stance, owed their loyalties to the ‘powers-that-were’ at the time. Even foreign journalists were not exempt from the many accusations against the media taking sides with the warring factions. Some of them even lost their lives in the cause of being objective, or because of peoples’ perception of their loyalties.
The problem with the media in Liberia, at that time as is the case in most African countries, in my view, was that journalists who forged alliances with factions-turned-political parties, equated independence with opposition. Because they spoke out against the government, they believed that they were independent. The question is: didn't they just trade one affiliation for another? The fact is, there is little room for truth in a partisan or factional press.
While it is true that presently there exists divisions among journalists, as a result of allegiances which some of them still hold to leaders of former warring factions, the Liberian media has also made significant strides in helping Liberians forget the past and reconciling their differences since 2 August1997, when the present government was sworn into office.
Except for a few, most newspapers and radio stations are now preaching the message of peace and reconciliation rather than fanning the flames of discord as it was in the early days of the civil conflict. Although the Liberian media continues to encounter some obstacles in the course of its duties, it is worth noting that the relationship between the press and government has improved over the last few months, as incidents of arrests and intimidation have lessened.
We hope and pray that this new-found relationship between the press and government will continue to flourish, and that the attitude of public officials not to divulge information that is of public interest will be discouraged so as not to undermine good governance.
The Press Union of Liberia must be commended for its efforts in ensuring the rights and protection of its members. We urge the Union to go one step further in making sure that all journalists speak with one voice on those issues of national interest.
Finally, we also encourage journalists in the sub- region to continue to work together with a view to promoting cooperation and understanding of our common concerns and strive together to achieve press freedom and free expression in our countries.
Elizabeth Hoff is Producer at the Talking Drum Studios in Monrovia, Liberia
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