The Need for Objective News Coverage in Liberia

by Edward Doe,

Associate Editor, TGA

Monrovia, Liberia - The need for Editorial in Liberia's media is critical. Editorial is intended to generate a discussion, maybe convince the reader of a different argument or even persuade the reader. We expect FrontPage and every newspaper to generate discussions or conversations of the prevailing issues. That said, the newspaper has an important task, which is to write the first draft of history as it happens; the opinion pages shape how we look at our history.

Opinion pages in newspapers date back to the Joseph Jenkins Roberts Administration, and the Liberia we know and love today is here thanks to the Newspapers then. Back then, newspapers were inherently opinionated. For our Founding Fathers, newspapers served as an extension of their administration. Joseph Jenkins Roberts and Stephen Allen Benson started the trend with how they used the Gazette of the Republic of Liberia, and the role of political organ solidified with The Liberia Herald. The Liberia Herald founded by Charles Force and Editor John Brown Russwurm in 1834, went on to also support the Joseph Jenkins Roberts and Stephen Allen Benson administrations. From then, several publications served as propaganda, along with objective news.

The role of editorial pages (resembling more closely those of today) could be traced to the 19th century when newspapers such as the Liberian Times started publishing anonymous letters on current events to start a discussion. Liberians knew the mission of newspapers was to “influence public opinion.”

By the 20th century, most newspapers moved toward a business model of separating straight news and opinion, confining editorials, and columns to marked pages. Recent years, however, have seen a revival of more overtly partisan news media, and Internet sites promoting the CDC agendas.

Nowadays, many Liberians can’t even agree on basic facts, a trend I called “truth decay" And FrontPage TODAY readers have not been shy in reminding FPA daily. Readers believe FrontPage is leaning towards the Weah Administration. Or unfair. Or trying to divide the country. Or on a crusade against President Weah and his administration. Or that FrontPage shouldn’t voice opinions and should “just stick to reporting the news.” With all due respect, no. Opinion pages in newspapers are “important news.” The same standards for accuracy and fact-checking apply to editorials, columns, letters, and even cartoons, which is more than can be said for some online blog sites or comment sections on social media. Editorial pages deliver the news of ideas, while other departments of the newspaper deliver the news of events.