NATIONAL NEWS
MONROVIA – The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) has put President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on the spot, openly questioning what his administration will leave behind for Liberia’s media sector as concerns mount over the lack of progress on long-standing reforms and the worsening economic difficulties confronting news organizations.
By: Trokon S. Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
Speaking at the Second Annual Presidential Media Dinner at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo Town on September 12, PUL President Julius Kanubah said Liberia had made important gains in press freedom, including the passage of the Freedom of Information Act, the abolition of several anti-free-speech offenses and the expansion of community radio. B
But he warned that these achievements could be undermined if the government fails to address the structural problems threatening the survival of independent journalism.
Kanubah reminded President Boakai that the PUL had raised similar concerns during the first Presidential Media Dinner in April 2025, including the need to transform the Liberia Broadcasting and Cultural Center (ELBC) into an impartial public-service broadcaster and provide meaningful support to struggling community radio stations.
According to him, more than a year later, the Union is yet to see significant progress toward comprehensive ELBC reform, structured assistance for community radio, improved working conditions for journalists, or the establishment of a national framework for media sustainability.
The PUL president cited unreliable electricity, inadequate equipment, limited advertising opportunities, rising operational costs and insufficient professional training as some of the major pressures facing Liberia’s media industry.
His remarks effectively challenge the Boakai administration to move beyond political recognition of the media’s role and take concrete steps to strengthen the institutions that enable journalists to perform their watchdog function.
Kanubah therefore proposed the formulation and enactment of a Liberia Media Governance and Sustainability Act, which he said would create a transparent national framework for supporting independent, ethical and professional journalism.
He argued that credible journalism remains essential to democracy and called on the government to work with the PUL in developing such legislation.
The PUL president also turned the spotlight on the legacies of previous administrations, noting that former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s government enacted the Freedom of Information Act, endorsed the Declaration of Table Mountain and contributed US$100,000 toward the proposed PUL headquarters.
Mr. Kanubah also credited former President George Weah’s administration with enacting the Kamara Abdullai Kamara Act of Press Freedom and providing a headquarters for the Female Journalists Association of Liberia.
Against that backdrop, Kanubah posed a pointed question to President Boakai: “What will be the media legacy of the Joseph Nyuma Boakai administration?” The question comes as the PUL continues to seek support for construction of its headquarters on land acquired since 1997, which the Union envisions as a national center for press freedom, professional development, ethical journalism and journalist protection.
Kanubah, however, acknowledged the controversy surrounding the earlier US$100,000 contribution from the Sirleaf administration, describing it as a blessing that unfortunately became a curse for the Union because of alleged mismanagement and unresolved accountability concerns.
wwHe said the demand for accountability over the funds continues despite the previous PUL leadership withdrawing the matter from court in the interest of reconciliation.
The PUL’s appeal therefore carries both a demand for government action and an implicit challenge to the Union itself to demonstrate the transparency it expects from public institutions. Kanubah said that despite the accountability controversy surrounding the earlier contribution, the PUL remains committed to transparency and completing its headquarters.
As government officials and media stakeholders gathered to “wine and dine” at the presidential dinner, Kanubah urged President Boakai to turn the occasion into something more consequential than another ceremonial engagement with the press.
For the PUL, the test of the Boakai administration’s media legacy will not be measured by speeches at presidential dinners, but by whether Liberia’s journalists and media institutions emerge from his tenure stronger, more independent, better equipped and economically sustainable.
