A consultative forum on the operationalization of media self-regulation manual on personal data privacy and protection was held on Friday, March 28, 2025 in Monrovia, with media practitioners giving their informed consent to comply with relevant data protection laws and ethical guidelines.
The forum which attracted editors from the broad spectrum of both the electronic and print media was organized by Internews in collaboration with the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding and the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.
The interactive forum was supported by the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP) with funding from the European Union.
Presenting the overview of Internews’ Personal Data and Privacy Protection Initiative, the project Director of Liberia Media Empowerment Project Internews, Liberia, Samuka Konneh, expressed gratitude to the participants for honoring their invitation despite their personal engagements at their various entities.
He said the media has got a pivotal role in amplifying to members of the greater society the significance of protecting personal data.
Konneh further emphasized the need for a stronger partnership with the various news organs because, in his articulation, they serve as the vehicle through which awareness creation on data protection can be accelerated. According to him, the initiative to crave for the drafting of personal data protection legislation is a concept that was long hatched by the Press Union of Liberia some years back but his organization is simply attempting to give it reawakening.
The Executive Director of the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding, Malcolm Joseph re-echoed the significance of protecting personal data, something which, within the context of our media milieu, has got less consciousness in our society.
He lauded the participation of the editors and assured them of his organization’s support aimed at building a stronger partnership with other institutions that will lead to the passage of the personal data protection bill into law.
Facilitator Sarnyenneh Dickson of the Homeland Law Firm, stirred the forum through various sessions that attracted interactive engagements across the floor.
He earlier premised his interactions with the editors by reminding them that careless handling of data could be damaging to an individual thereby exposing them litigation.
He however, cautioned participants to seek a balance between what constitutes private data that need to be protected and what constitutes the interest of public that needs to be exposed.
Cllr Dickson, unveiled a simplified guide on developing personal data privacy and protection policy, hinged on the optimism that it will be adopted by media entities for their newsroom.
The guide highlights the critical nature of personal data protection in today’s digital world, especially in a newsroom environment where sensitive information is often handled.
The guide discussed that personal data refer to any information whether recorded in a material form or not, from which the identity of an individual is apparent or can be reasonably and directly ascertained by the entity holding the information, or when put together with other information would directly and certainly identify an individual.
Personal data is used synonymously to mean personal information related to an identifiable person, such as name, address or phone number, identification numbers (Passport Number, National ID number), location data, email address, online identifiers like IP address, and sensitive information like health or criminal records.
Regarding the legal framework for data protection, the guide pointed out that Liberia currently lacks a comprehensive data protection law.
However, actors in the newsrooms are encouraged to adhere to international best practices within the context of globalization.
The guide emphasizes the doctrine of fairness, legality and transparency in the data collection process.
With reference to reporting on personal data, reporters are reminded to use value judgments in determining the sensitive nature of their reports thereby creating balance between the public’s right to know with the individual’s right to privacy.
Reporters are further encouraged to disregard personal data from a report where such data has no relevance in connection to the matter being reported. The guide calls attention to ethical consideration noting, in case of a data breach involving sensitive information, media actors are encouraged to do the needful by promptly informing the affected individuals and by taking corrective actions.
The guide concludes with a gentle re-enforcer to editors that the media’s role in society demands high ethical standards, especially concerning personal data. Actors within the newsrooms in Liberia are therefore charged to strive to implement strong privacy and data protection measures aimed at ensuring compliance with international best practices and the spirit of the draft Personal Data Protection and Privacy Bill, a commitment to which members of the media in attendance gave their informed consent in the form of taking an oath of affirmation.
Meanwhile, the Internews drafted a simplified code on personal data policy for Newsrooms, which in the spirit of collaboration could be integrated into PUL code of ethics.
The code reads; “Journalists shall respect and protect individuals’ personal data, ensure it is collected, stored, and used lawfully, ethically, and transparently.
Personal information shall only be obtained with the data subject’s informed consent.
The information gathered shall be used for legitimate journalistic purposes and safeguarded against unauthorized access or misuse.
Journalists must avoid publishing sensitive personal data unless it is in the public interest and overweighs potential harm.
Breaches of data protection principles shall be address promptly and responsibly.
All journalists must comply with relevant data protection laws and ethical guidelines.”
