Liberia: Boakai, Media Talk Partnership, Survival

What the report says

President Joseph Nyuma Boakai used Liberia’s Second Annual Presidential Media Dinner to present a message of cooperation with the press while stressing that journalists must keep their independence. According to Liberian Observer via AllAfrica, the event took place on September 12 at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, Monrovia, and brought together senior media figures, government communicators and officials in a less confrontational setting than usual government-media encounters.

Boakai said government and the media should see each other as partners with different roles, but he also said disagreement in a democracy is normal and should not prevent both sides from serving the country. He urged reporters to remain constructive about Liberia’s prospects while still investigating, criticizing and holding officials accountable. Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah echoed the administration’s support for press freedom and said the state would not censor media outlets or detain journalists unlawfully.

Media leaders used the occasion to press for practical help as the industry faces financial strain. Publishers Association of Liberia President Alphonso Toweh, Infinity Corporation CEO Aaron B. Kollie and Press Union of Liberia President Julius K. Kanubah pointed to falling advertising revenue, high operating costs, weak infrastructure and limited training. They called for budgetary support, broader reform and a sustainability framework for independent journalism. The Female Journalists Association of Liberia also raised the need for a public-interest journalism fund and greater inclusion of women journalists in key media spaces.

The report said the dinner mixed serious policy discussion with comedy, music and dancing, and included recognition of the late Sylvester M. Grigsby, whose role helped establish the event. The gathering underscored the government’s effort to maintain a working relationship with the press while the media sector seeks long-term support and reform.