RSF condemns Liberian parliament’s ban on four reporters
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is appalled to learn that the Liberian parliament’s press office has revoked the accreditation of four parliamentary correspondents and has told their media outlets to appoint new ones. RSF condemns this press freedom violation and calls for these four reporters to be allowed to resume covering parliamentary activities.
Musa Kenneh of Truth FM, Jackson Foyofayiah of the newspaper Focus and Meme Simoke and Edward Palmer of Corruption Watch have been banned from parliament since 19 February as a result of a decision by the House of Representatives. RSF has been told they cannot attend any of the lower house’s activities, including plenary sessions.
In a letter to their news organizations, Isaac G. Redd, the head of the Press and Public Affairs Bureau of the House of Representatives, wrote that, in order to improve the media’s coverage of parliament, “we have adopted a policy to infuse new reporters and remove those who are redundant and have been repetitive in their coverages.”
The letter added: “We have identified your reporter as one of those whose accreditation is hereby revoked. We are therefore requesting your institution to send a replacement.”
“Withdrawing the accreditation of journalists is a serious impediment to the freedom to inform,” said Assane Diagne, the head of RSF’s West Africa office. “This measure also constitutes interference in the workings of the media outlets concerned. It is the job of their editors to decide which journalists cover parliament and to evaluate their work.”
Liberia is ranked 89th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2018 World Press Freedom Index.
Liberia
