Monrovia – The Press Union of Liberia will observe its 52nd Anniversary on Friday, September 30 with a Conference on Media and Self-Regulation at the Brewerville City Hall.
The conference, being held under the theme: “Promoting Free Expression and Good Journalism through Media Self-Regulation” is another means of strengthening professionalism within the media, while maintaining a significant degree of independence. Press Union President Abdullai Kamara said the conference is a lot more meaningful today, to allay the fears of some members of the community, who are still finding it difficult to accommodate reforms within the media scene.
Among key issues within the Liberian media law regime is the act to decriminalize speech and media offenses.
A high point of this campaign has been President Sirleaf’s signing of the Declaration of the Table Mountain in 2010.
However, to date, efforts to clarify that declaration into legislation remains work in progress.
The Press Union notes that those offering critique of the law are concerned about how to hold journalists accountable, should their work harm others.
Because of this fear, some people within the community are even considering statutory regulations for the media, and the best way to avert this is to ensure a workable self-regulation regime.
The Press Union is hopeful that the commitment of members to this dialogue will lay the basis for a stronger mechanism to ensure a more professional, yet especially independent press in Liberia.
Anniversary activities will also include Thanksgiving Services at the Mambu Haines Garage Mosque (Brewerville) at 1pm on Friday, September 30; and at the Christ Redemption World Outreach Ministries (CREWOM) at Yellow Flower, Brewerville on Sunday, October 2 at 10am.
The Press Union was organized in 1964 by a group of Liberian journalists, who sought to stand together in defense of press freedom and good journalism.
Across the years, the union has stood in the vanguard for democracy and free speech in Liberia.
The self-regulation conference is being held in partnership with the USAID-supported Liberia Media Development – managed by Internews.
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