At Long Last, PUL Puts Her Feet Down Membership Committee Sets Guidelines

By Gideon Nma Scott, Jr.

At long last, the issue of who becomes full, associate or affiliate member of the Press Union will be put to rest as its membership committee headed by Inquirer Managing Editor, Madam Winnie Saywah Jimmy, releases the guidelines for the membership drive that is expected to begin in April of this year.

One of the factors that fueled the long-standing electoral conflict within the Press Union of Liberia was the voters’ roll in 2022 that accredited full membership to junior media practitioners, student journalists, and those working in media houses but were not journalists. The Union’s membership at the time sky rocketed to over two thousand persons, most of whom were based in rural Liberia.

Founded in Monrovia on September 30, 1964, the Press Union of Liberia is an umbrella organization for media professionals and institutions to advocate for press freedom and the legal protection of journalists. With a membership of more than 1000 journalists, the PUL has oversight responsibility for addressing problems arising from journalists’ reportage and conduct in the face of the ever-growing demand for quality, good and professional journalism.
Basically, the Union was set up to advocate for press freedom and the protection of journalists. But since its founding, the Union has grown to a vibrant pro-democracy group that has championed not only media matters, but issues affecting the democratic governance of the state, social justice and human rights. As part of its advocacy, the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) has also fought for press freedom in Africa as longer than just about any other civil society organization on the continent.
But the controversies surrounding the 2022 election of the union brought it to its knees and damage its long-standing reputation and good works on the face of the continent.

Article 4 of the Constitution of the PUL mandates its membership committee to review and update its membership listing every year, but due to the delinquency of many members, some of whom are professional journalists, the committee would rather do the update and renewal of membership cards during election years to encourage those who have interest in said process and others to register. During that period, journalists from across the country flood to wherever that is designated to obtain their PUL Press Card, which is the official identity of said person being a member of the PUL.

Howbeit, some media folks in Monrovia, especially those with vested interest in elections processes used the occasion to flood the membership roll with some non-members and common people to have their electoral aims accomplished. This was the case with the PUL Gbarnga Congress of 2022 where hundreds of non-members, political actors, janitors, generators operators, marketers, drivers and common citizens were allegedly issues PUL full membership Identification Card to participate in the election, which birthed the over three years conflict that brought the operations of the Union to a standstill and its image to public ridicule. The rest was a court proceeding from one county to the other and finally to the Supreme Court of Liberia where the matter was finally resolved.

There are three categories through which an individual or an institution can obtain membership of the Press Union of Liberia:

1. Full member: One has to be a Liberian and graduate in communication or journalism from any reputable university in Liberia or elsewhere and must have worked with any reputable media institution for at least two years;
   Must be a university graduate in any field of study and must have worked with any media institution for at least three years or be a high school graduate who have worked with any media institution for at least five years. A full member, except those working as Public Relation Officers (PROs), can be voted and voted for in any position of the Union.
2. Associate member: one must be a Liberian and a university in journalism or communication with under two years of working experience; a graduate in any field of study with under three years of working experience of a high school graduate with under five years of experience. This category of membership also extents to foreign press who are in country to execute specific media tasks;
3. Affiliate membership goes to people who are themselves not journalists, but are working with media institutions to aid their work. These persons include but not limited to receptionists, janitors, drivers, security, production officers among others.

Like the Liberian diplomatic passports that are allegedly in the hands of foreigners, some of whom are being labelled as criminals, so it is with the PUL membership identification cards that are in the hands of farmers, drivers, students and even criminals. The Union doesn’t know some of these people, neither do they know the union. The PUL’s identification cards were issues to individuals, many of whom were families or closed associate to some of those running for elected office. It is alleged that the PUL full membership ID cards even being carried by foreigners who use it as gate pass at security check points. To speak out loud, this is by far degrading to the image of the Union, which the founding fathers, dead or alive did not envisage.

For the record, the media is a professional space for a particular group of professionals, so, whoever has interest in being part of said professional organization, should adhere to its ethics and professional guidelines. This is why I appreciate the Winnie Saywah Jimmy led membership committee for setting up such stringent guidelines that will thoroughly scrutinize the caliber of people who are or interested in being members of the Press Union of Liberia.

When follow to the letter, these sets of guidelines will inform the now and would-be members on what they can and cannot do as professional and ethical journalists. It will also set the basis of how media institutions are accredited, their staffing and paid grades as well as welfare programs for staff; and media institutions and practitioners will account for their content and tone; be held liable for ethical transgression; strip the membership of those who ill-got the PUL’s identification and certify that those who carry the union’s identity are bonified members of the Union. Yet members and institutions will benefit full protection from the union through advocacy, capacity building and institutional and individual strengthening.

For this, raise my hats to the committee and pray that it succeeds as it begins to roll out the registration process.

But aye! Liberians being the way we are; people who love good things but don’t like to see it work, I’m afraid that some of our own who have begun politicizing and bad mouthing the leadership of the Union under the stewardship of Julius Kanuba, will do all in their powers to ensure that you don’t succeed. This is why I think the membership committee should do proper awareness, and serve as a melting pot to bring all on board.

Madam Jimmy, if your group must succeed, you have to play the role of the scapegoat or the sacrificial lamb for the Union. Your task to clean the membership roll of the PUL and ensure that those who bear the PUL identity meet all requirements set up by you, begins with reconciling all belligerent parties during the past election process. Ensure that all lost sheep are brought back to the fold for the upliftment of the Union. Though there may be some stubborn one, I trust your team and believe that you will work with all parties to ensure that the union is shaped to its pre-conflict status.

I am convinced with the level of work done by Winnie and her group, the Union will experience some transformation in its membership listing, but much is expected in the face of the toxic political environment. Despite the unfriendly space, especially after the induction of the Julius-Bea leadership, the Union has been working to seek opportunities for the Liberian media as well as defend press freedom. But the task to clean the membership list and to pair with other media institutions in Africa is a task that requires commitment, hard work and steadfastness, which I believe that this team bring to the table.