By Gideon Nma Scott, Jr.
The Managing Editor of the Inquirer Newspaper, who has been increasingly labeled by some of her colleagues as tough, vocal, and a result-based leader, has lavished praises on her staff for a job well done in 2023.
Madam Winnie Saywah Jimmy said when she was appointed as the Managing Editor of the Inquirer Newspaper on January 23, 2023, after serving as acting Managing Editor for over four months, following the death of Philip Wesseh in September of 2022, she was excited about the appointment, but was afraid to take up the post, knowing the reputation the Paper has gained on the international scene.
“To be frank, I was completely off balance and did not know where to start. Though I am a journalist, but taking an administrative lead at such a renowned media institution, I just did not know who or where to turn to. But you, my colleagues, have stood in the gap for me. You were in the rain, the sun, the dust, on rocky and muddy roads, just to cover and report the news. And all I can say to you is thank you for the year. You are my heroes and sheroes. It was a tough year, but it was good for all of us,” Madam Jimmy, who reached for a towel to wipe her eyes, said to her colleagues.
The sobbing ME noted that the staff were exceptional in the discharge of their journalistic duties in 2023 and called on them to be more alert during the entire tenure of the Boakai-led administration, thereby keeping the spirit of the professionalism, ethics, and credibility of the media well alive.
“We must be alert, objective, and maintain our individual, as well as institutional credibility, as we cover and report on the shortfalls and gains of the incoming government. We will not let ourselves to be deceived or be carried away by the noise on the street. I can assure that we will not put our bellies in the wheel barrow or lay our reputation in the street. We will do our work and maintain the image that Mr. Wesseh and all those who have passed through these walls have fought for,” she stressed.
She also pointed out, “When most people think about Inquirer, they think about and see a credible and a well-functioning media institution first before they even see and think about us who are working here. And we can’t afford to let those people down. We have to keep the working spirit of Mr. Wesseh and this institution alive. We should not allow people to see or feel the absence of Mr. Wesseh. They should always know that, though Mr. Wesseh is dead, he left behind people whom he has trained to continue his legacy,” the sobbing boss told her staff.
The Inquirer boss reported that during the year under review, the Paper covered and reported 2,530 national stores, 377 international stories, and 590 sports stories. This is excluding commentaries, articles, and documentaries.
“We were able to accomplish this because of the collective efforts that we all exerted and the courage and commitment with which we embraced our job,” Madam Jimmy observed.
She spoke on December 28, 2023, when the staff gathered at the Inquirer year-end party held at the institution’s headquarters, at the intersection of Benson and Gurley Streets in Monrovia.
“You continue to be strong pillars on which I stand and I am grateful to all of you for your commitment, diligence, and steadfastness in ensuring that we remain on the news stand as one of Liberia’s credible news institutions,” Madam Jimmy intimated.
“As we begin this new year, I want to encourage all of us to continue our hard work in ensuring that we cover and report the news as it unfolds. This is what we have signed for; this is what we are called to do. This is the profession we have chosen and we cannot fail ourselves and our calling,” the Inquirer boss said.
According to Madam Jimmy, the hopes of many of the paper’s readers, followers, and partners, have raised the bar of the paper to a higher esteem and are looking to see how the institution functions in the absence of its former Managing Editor, Philip Wesseh.
“Our readers and followers are expecting more from us and I am sure that we have not let them down and we will not let them down,” Madam Jimmy pledged.
She accentuated, “When people trust you, you must convince them that they have made the right choice. This is what all of us have been fighting to do. To convince our people that we are upbeat and up to the task. We have done it before, and we will do it again.”
While praising her staff, the Inquirer boss extended special thanks to those she referred to as “Valued friends of the Inquirer”, saying, “I extend my profound gratitude to our esteemed friends, including Dr. Togba Nah Tipoteh, Mr. Dakena Wesley, our Chinese and other international partners, and all those who are standing and helping to guide us while we manage this paper. They are never short of sending us their works to be published, and at the same time, never stop supporting us from wherever they are. I lift my hats off to them.”
On January 3, 2023, Madam Christiana Winifred Saywah Jimmy, commonly known as C. Win, was appointed as the first female Managing Editor of the Inquirer Newspaper by the Board of Directors of the New Era Corporation, publisher of the Inquirer Newspaper. Jimmy is the third Managing Editor but the first female to assume the highest post of the paper.
“We present our compliments and inform you that the Board is herewith appointing you as the Managing Editor of the INQUIRER Newspaper. We are pleased to appoint you to this very important position of national and international significance, because you have proven to be competent, reliable, and willing to learn,” the board said.
