Monrovia, – August 3, 2026 – The membership of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) has mandated its leadership to engage lawyers and seek appropriate remedies following the Government’s failure to provide evidence linking the Liberian media to receiving monies from a drug cartel.
At a mass membership meeting held at the PUL Head Office in Monrovia on Monday, August 3, journalists and media practitioners overwhelmingly resolved that legal remedies must be pursued within one week.
Members expressed grave concern over the damaging nature of the allegation made by Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman, speaking on behalf of the Government’s Joint Security Investigative Taskforce.
On July 30, the Police IG claimed that the Taskforce had “verified and established” that the drug cartel had infused monies into the media to sway and influence ongoing investigations into the seizure of over half a billion dollars’ worth of cocaine.
However, no evidence has been provided to substantiate this claim. The PUL warns that such unsubstantiated allegations erode public trust, endanger the safety of journalists and undermine the credibility of the media.
The membership further noted that the IG’s statement should not go without challenge, stressing that it may have been made out of frustration and intended to distract attention from heightened media reports implicating senior security and government officials in collaboration with the cartel.
The motion to mandate the Union’s leadership to engage lawyers was proffered by journalist Winston Blyden after extensive deliberations:
“Following more than an hour of discussions on the damaging statement from the Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman, I move, if I can receive a second, that this body mandates the leadership of the Press Union of Liberia to contact our lawyers with immediate effect to seek appropriate remedies to this issue and report within one week.” – Winston Blyden
PUL President Julius Kanubah, who presided over the meeting, commended the membership for their strong solidarity in defense of the integrity of the media.
He emphasized that the Union is not in confrontation with government but insisted that the government must provide evidence to aid the fight against illicit drugs rather than stifling it by failing to reveal the names of media institutions allegedly working with the cartel.
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