Monrovia — The President of the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL), Madam Lisa Tenneh Diasay, has challenged President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to take concrete steps to strengthen media access, support county-based journalism, and establish an independent public-interest journalism fund amid growing concerns over the sustainability of Liberia’s media sector.
By Patience M. Jones, patience [email protected]
Speaking at the Presidential Media Dinner on Saturday, Madam Diasay said Liberia’s women journalists are not absent from the profession but are increasingly missing from the rooms where critical national questions are asked, and answers are provided.
“Look at the press delegation that travels with you. Look at who is called on at the briefings, and who gets the sit-down when the story is national,” Diasay told President Boakai.
“The women of this press and of the media are not missing from the profession. We are missing from the rooms where the questions get asked and the answers get given,” she added.
Diasay urged the President to deliberately expand access for women journalists to presidential briefings, official delegations, and high-level engagements, arguing that greater inclusion would bring different perspectives to national discourse.
According to her, women journalists are positioned to raise critical questions around issues affecting ordinary Liberians, including markets, clinics, classrooms, and development activities across the country.
She said the government must also invest in the infrastructure needed to enable journalists outside Monrovia to effectively report on national development.
“Take the duty off broadcast and internet equipment, and give the county bureaus a connection that works, and you will have reporters living where the roads, the clinics and the classrooms are actually being built,” Diasay said.
The FeJAL President maintained that the government’s development agenda cannot be effectively communicated or independently verified if journalism remains heavily concentrated in Monrovia.
“Inclusive development that nobody can verify is only an announcement,” she warned, calling for stronger media presence and access in Liberia’s counties.
Calls for Independent Journalism Fund
Diasay also used the occasion to make a strong case for the creation of an Independent Public Interest Journalism Fund, describing it as a necessary step toward addressing the growing financial challenges confronting the media industry.
She noted that shrinking donor support is creating increasing pressure on media institutions and called on the government and media sector to begin discussions on establishing an independent and transparently managed mechanism to support public-interest journalism.
However, she stressed that such a fund must be protected from political interference to preserve the independence and credibility of the media.
“An Independent Public Interest Journalism Fund is the way,” Diasay declared.
“With the shrinking donor support declining, government and the media sector should begin discussions on establishing an independent, transparently managed fund to support public-interest journalism. The fund must be protected from political interference,” she said.
She argued that sustainable financing for journalism would contribute to building a stronger media ecosystem capable of supporting Liberia’s growth and development.
Diasay’s remarks came during the second Presidential Media Dinner, attended by President Boakai, Information Minister Jerolinmik Matthew Piah, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Presidential Press Secretary Atty. Kula B. Fofana, media executives, and women journalists.
While acknowledging the President’s authority to organize his government, Diasay also raised concerns about the recent reduction in the number of women serving in Cabinet, following the reassignment of Defense Minister Geraldine J. George and Commerce Minister Dagoseh.
She urged the President to ensure that both women continue to serve in positions where their competence can influence national policy and called for greater consideration of women in future government appointments.
But at the heart of her address was a broader message: inclusive development requires an independent, accessible, adequately resourced and diverse media capable of holding government accountable and reporting development beyond Monrovia.
Diasay closed by urging President Boakai to move from commitments to action.
“Give us the count and give us the reach, and we will report the rest,” she told the President.
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