I’m a bit turned off by this Christian Science Monitor article on Liberia media. The author notes that underfunded media outlets are vulnerable to bribery because they need the funds to stay in operation. This is an important topic that is not written about frequently. But I don’t like the article’s emphasis on the role of international media “trainers.”
Through intensive workshops on basic journalism skills and ethics, funding for adequate staffing, and even by establishing news organizations, the plan is to transform a largely untrained and unchecked industry into an independent, responsible media able to promote social cohesion, not anarchy.
The idea of an ethics training is absurd. If I’m a local reporter getting paid $150/month (just a guess), and I’m having trouble feeding my family, I’m going to take that $500 bribe from a ministry official without a second thought. I don’t need someone to tell me that it’s wrong; I know it is. But I also know my 5 year-old son is going to die if I can’t pay for his malaria meds and get him a bowl of rice. An ethics training smacks of missionary and colonial attempts at “civilizing” Africans.
Also—anarchy? Liberia has never been in a state of anarchy. Even during the war local power structures emerged that governed people. When westerners refer to anarchy it’s just because the power structures aren’t easy to see.
USAID has helped establish rural community radio stations.
I don’t think this is true. In fact I think community radio stations are a relatively-indigenous type of media in Liberia. I’m pretty sure they’ve been around since before the war. Does anyone know more about this?
Monrovia-based Star Radio is demonstrating some of the effects of assistance.
Star Radio is fantastic, and I’m sure part of the reason they are able to be so good is because of lots of funding from foreign institutions, but this sentence seems to imply they can’t do anything on their own.
I love your blog it is very refreshing and fair.I think it is unfair that people think africans can not do anything for themselves without USAID or UNDP or something like that.
I am not a fan of NGOs as i feel they use doner money for their fat pay checks fancy cars and take up the best housing and prices go up in areas where they live.In liberia am yet to see what they have done after spending millions there is still no water electricy.Only NGO workers can afford huge generators and trucks to bring them water.
UNMIL has had an important role but the other NGO are waste of space in my opnion.What is a 22 year old an expert in?african affairs?I feel some governments give money and want their citizens to get the money back.
Almost half the cars are NGO owned after they leave what will happen to the economy?They do not pay taxes and most of them have taken the job not because they want to do any good but because they can earn tax free money and live in big houses with many servants.
I am an african and that is a discussion many of us have.Why are they building careers at our expence all they do is write reports no one will read and go on to the next place where they can earn more and only work few hours a day.