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IFJ Supports
Journalists Sued for Libel by Media Executive in Liberia
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has risen to back the
call by the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) on the country’s journalists to
stand in solidarity with six of their professional colleagues and a
newspaper accused of libel by Ambrose Nmah, the general manager of
Renaissance Communication Incorporated, a pro-government media group
that owns Truth FM radio and Real TV.
Gabriel Baglo, Director of the IFJ Africa office said: “It’s an amazing
situation when one journalist would state publicly that some of his
colleagues should be subject to violence,” adding “We support all the
actions taken so far by our affiliate, the PUL, to solve the matter. We
believe that this matter should be solved by the media community and not
in the court system.”
On October 17, 2007 Nmah, who also presents a news program on the radio
station and his company launched a libel suit against Star radio
Editor-in-chief, Geevon Smith; The News’ editor, Sheriff Adams; The
Parrot’s managing editor, Robert Kpadeh; The Independent’s managing
editor, Sam Dean; Plain Truth’s publisher, Seranous Cephus; and former
PUL Secretary, General Alphonsus after they published a statement
calling on the PUL to investigate him for allegedly making comments on
his radio program justifying physical attacks on journalists by police
officers. He is claiming 10,000.00 US dollars in damages.
Public Agenda newspaper is also being sued for alleged publication of
defamatory articles.
According to the PUL, the six journalists in a statement on 12 October
called on the union to investigate comments Nmah allegedly made during a
programme on Truth Fm “justifying attacks on some journalists for their
breach of security protocol according to state authorities, during the
visit to Liberia of Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma [last
September].”
Jonathan Paye-Layleh, a BBC Stringer who was brutally assaulted while
covering President Koroma’s visit to Liberia told the PUL: “[Nmah said]
on his show that I would have been responsible for my own death if I had
been killed”.
The IFJ believes that Nmah and the other journalists should allow the
PUL to mediate this conflict and decide what and if any actions need to
be taken.
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