EDITORIAL: D-Flow’s Mockery and Fahngon’s Fury — A Disgraceful Moment for Liberia’s Public Broadcasting 

THE SYMBOLIC BULLDOZING of the Coalition for Democratic Change’s (CDC) headquarters at Bernard’s Beach on August 23, has done more than clear contested land. It has torn open a festering wound in Liberia’s political and institutional landscape — one that reveals the decaying standards of public discourse, the corrosion of state-run media, and the growing tolerance for abusive, unprofessional conduct among top officials.

AT THE CENTER OF this storm are two individuals: Deputy Director General for Rebranding at the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), D-Flow Flomo-Yarbo, and his superior, Director General Eugene Fahngon.

THEIR ACTIONS, BOTH independently and jointly, have cast an unforgiving spotlight on the Liberia Broadcasting System — not as a beacon of national communication, but as a cautionary tale of institutional collapse and political arrogance.

FLOMOS’ NOW-INFAMOUS Facebook post, written in the immediate aftermath of the CDC headquarters’ demolition, was not a gaffe. It was not an emotional slip. It was a calculated act of gloating, clothed in state-issued attire and delivered from the ruins of a once-symbolic political base. “Mission accomplished big time. In my history book, CDC is now homeless. No more tires burning on public road again with they being homeless oooo,” Flomo wrote, grinning from ground zero. This was not public communication. It was public mockery.

WEARING HIS OFFICIAL LBS-branded jacket and flanked by a government-funded broadcasting team, Flomo did not appear as a civil servant. He stood as a political agitator, relishing the moment not with reflection or professionalism, but with the reckless glee of a partisan soldier. 

THAT THE  DEPUTY Director for Rebranding — a role created, in theory, to foster public trust and unity — would descend to this level of public provocation is not just ironic. It is damning.

BUT PERHAPS MORE disturbing than Flomo’s juvenile behavior is the response — or deliberate non-response — of his boss, Eugene Fahngon. When the press, particularly FrontPage Africa, reported Flomo’s distasteful post, they fulfilled their role in a democratic society, holding those in power accountable. Fahngon, however, responded with vitriol, not against the misconduct of his deputy, but against the press itself.

“FrontPage Africa is a garbage newspaper,” he ranted on social media, later doubling down in a podcast tirade. In these moments, Fahngon did more than lash out. He laid bare the rot at the heart of Liberia’s state broadcaster. This wasn’t the frustration of a leader betrayed by a staffer — it was the fury of a man who sees scrutiny as insult, who views journalism as a threat rather than a service to the people.

FAHNGON’S RAGE was not just about defending Flomo; it was a declaration of intolerance for criticism, a warning to the press to stay silent or suffer attacks. And that is where the deeper decay begins to show. The problem is no longer just one official’s poor judgment. It is a systemic culture that rewards loyalty over accountability and impunity over responsibility.

IF FLOMO’S remarks were immature and offensive, Fahngon’s reaction was institutional betrayal. The Liberia Broadcasting System, funded by taxpayers and mandated to serve all Liberians regardless of political affiliation, is being weaponized — not for public enlightenment, but for personal vindictiveness and political score-settling.

THIS IS a betrayal of mandate. It is a rejection of media ethics. And it is an erosion of democratic norms.

IN A NATION still recovering from civil war, where wounds of division and distrust remain tender, such behavior from top communication officials is not just reckless — it is dangerous. Public broadcasting in any democracy must serve as a stabilizing force, a trustworthy source of information, and a model of impartiality. It must avoid even the perception of partisanship, especially when political tensions are high.

INSTEAD, WHAT Liberia has witnessed is the hijacking of public media by voices more interested in antagonizing than informing. When the public broadcaster’s rebranding officer mocks political opponents and its director general attacks the press for covering it, we must ask “what, then, is LBS being rebranded into”?

THE CDC headquarters demolition, while legally backed by a court ruling favoring the heirs of Martha Stubblefield Bernard, has morphed into a public relations disaster — not because of the ruling itself, but because of the celebratory, mocking posture taken by Flomo and the defiant, retaliatory stance of Fahngon. In politics, perception is often more powerful than fact. And the perception created by these men is one of partisan triumphalism, not justice.

EVEN IF the CDC’s occupancy of the Bernard estate was unlawful, even if the eviction was warranted, the public posture of state officials must be one of responsibility, respect, and restraint. Instead, Liberians saw gloating. They heard cheering. They watched as those entrusted with informing the nation became provocateurs — feeding a cycle of humiliation that does nothing to promote reconciliation or institutional credibility.

THE BOAKAI administration now faces a critical test. The President, who campaigned on integrity and a break from the corrosive politics of the past, must prove that his promises were more than campaign rhetoric. To ignore the conduct of Flomo and Fahngon is to condone it. To excuse it is to signal that state institutions are still tools of the ruling party — that nothing has changed, except the faces in power.

ACCOUNTIBILITY MUST be swift and unequivocal. Flomo’s actions, apology or not, merit disciplinary review and, at minimum, suspension. Fahngon, for his part, must be held to an even higher standard. His attack on the press undermines Liberia’s democratic fabric and sends a chilling message to journalists and whistleblowers alike. He cannot remain at the helm of a national broadcaster if he believes his role is to insult watchdogs rather than uphold transparency.

THIS IS NOT about defending the CDC. It is not about justifying their prior governance or their loss of the Bernard property. It is about something more fundamental: the kind of country Liberia aspires to be. A democracy where the rule of law is exercised with dignity. A society where public officials are held to standards of decency. A media landscape where institutions like LBS are trusted because they serve the people — not the party.

LET THE rubble at Bernard’s Beach stand as a monument to poor leadership until those responsible for exploiting it are held to account. Let this episode remind every civil servant and state communicator that their words matter, especially when the country is watching. Let it remind the Boakai administration that the credibility of governance does not lie in laws passed or courts convened, but in the everyday conduct of those appointed to serve.

LIBERIA CANNOT afford another generation of leaders who think public service means partisan celebration or press intimidation. The road ahead demands maturity, fairness, and the courage to correct what is wrong — even when the wrongdoers wear the same political colors.

WHEN REBRANDING becomes ridicule and fury replaces responsibility, it is not just opposition parties that are made homeless. The real casualty is public trust — and without it, democracy itself begins to crumble.