A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

• The Government of Liberia should adopt an act designed to regulate and reform the national
broadcasting system, in consideration of the recommendations issued at the National
Conference on Media Law and Policy Reform in 2004 247 and the African Charter on
Broadcasting. 248
Freedom of Expression: Capacity Building
The Government of Liberia, the Press Union of Liberia, civil society, and the international community
should collaboratively focus on:
• Developing a long-term communications education program, as well as short-term training
workshops for Liberian journalists. Trainings should emphasize the importance of freedom
of expression, the role of the media in community and peace building, and ethical standards.
Training on conflict reporting, especially safety training and risk-awareness for local
journalists, who tend to be less equipped and more vulnerable than international journalists,
can help strengthen media recovering from conflict. 249 Workshops for trainers can expand
these efforts even further. 250
• Establishing and financing an independent local “press aid” foundation, so as to ensure a
means of assisting journalists to carry out their work long-term without a need to resort to
activities that compromise the integrity of their reporting. 251
• Encouraging media outlets to develop their own mission, code of ethics, and enforcement
mechanisms in order to strengthen their commitment to professional and ethical journalism. 252
• Promoting town meetings and open workshops to facilitate dialogue on democracy, civil
rights, and ethical journalism.
• Educating journalists about what constitutes a violation of ethical and legal standards, as well
as potential repercussions. 253
Freedom of Expression: Privatization & Sustainability
The Government of Liberia, Press Union of Liberia, civil society, and the international community
should collaboratively focus on:
• Developing exchange networks between editors, managers and publishers on local and
international levels to raise awareness about press repression. Networks also promote
exchange and competition regarding development issues. 254
• Developing training programs that address business management issues in order to promote
sustainability by helping media outlets manage their finances and development. 255
• Financing a study on usership of independent media outlets to establish an advertising market
that will stimulate the private, independent media. 256
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Chapter Fourteen