Heads of state security institutions invited to a media and security analysis dialogue were conspicuously absent from the one-day conference intended to discuss safety between the two groups last Friday, in Monrovia.
Those absent were the Armed Forc -es of Liberia (AFL’s) Chief of Staff, Prince Charles Johnson; the National Police Director, Patrick Sudue; and the Director of the Executive Protection Services (EPS), Trokon Roberts among others.
However, unlike police spokesperson Moses Carter who deputized for his boss (Patrick Sudue), both EPS’s boss Trokon Roberts, and AFL’s Chief of Staff, Prince Charles Johnson, III, did not sent any representative.
Speaking for the police, Carter called for the setting of a dialogue committee between the police in particular but the state security in general on one hand and the media on the other hand.
He stated that this would help to mitigate issues that may arise before, during and after the field assignment of the two groups in discharging of their duties which is not limited to the pending elections.
The dialogue was organized by the Volunteers for Sustainable Development in Africa (VOSIDA) and the Department of Communications and Media Studies of the University of Liberia
The conference brought together reporters, editors and managers among others who generated two recommendations.
They proposed that the PUL reawakens the collective bargaining agreement discussion on the status of reporters’ welfare and salary; and a committee be set up to respond to issue between the media and security sector especially during election period.
The was a discussion on reporter’s or journalists” be paramount but as journalists, they must always observe the security No-Go Zone and refrain from engaging or doing those things that have the propensity to cause chaos.
“As journalists, our job is different because it involves nation or peace building. Therefore, we should divorce from politicking. Notwithstanding, we panelists express our disappointment for the absence of heads of state security institutions invited to this dialogue, which is geared towards reducing the continued attacks on journalists,” they noted.
They then admonished their colleagues that during demonstration they must always be on the side of state security so as to avoid mistaken identity.
In their cautioning remarks during the opening of the conference, Othello Garblah, president of the Publishers Association of Liberia (PAL) said there is no need for a reporter or journalist to die for a story therefore he urged his professional colleagues to be mindful of the red line of state security who primary objective is to protect of the VIP including themselves normal and abnormal time.
He indicated that journalists shall take the blame for some clashes with security because of their failure to adhere to security regulations on grounds that most journalists carried themselves above the law and that is to the contrary.
“Where our job stop is where state security job begins because the safety of the VIPs and themselves is their primary concern whether in normal or abnormal times,” Garblah noted.
Malcolm Joseph, Head of the Center for Peace building and Media Studies (CEMSP) said the dialogue is a continue process between the state security agencies and the media because for some time now there has been some acrimonious situation.
He proposed dialogue as being important because it also removes any existing negative feeling or barrier between the two groups, mainly during electioneering period, which is always full of tension.
