The Inquirer
September 16, 2009
A two-day national conference on Media Ethics and Accountability, under the theme: Strengthening Media for Democratic Consolidation and Promotion of the Rule of Law opens at the Monrovia City Hall on Wednesday, September 16. The conference, jointly organized by the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), the Liberia Media Center (LMC) and the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP), with support [from] TrustAfrica, is aimed at providing support in moving the media legislative agenda forward and media performance, ethics and professional conduct. According to the PUL, the conference will also serve as “a critical review of the media coverage of these situations vis-à-vis ethics, code of conduct, professionalism and social responsibility, and ensure the creation of a media self-regulatory committee with the ultimate goal of promoting professional excellence and accountability in the media.”
Participants will include journalists, editors, publishers, printers, community radio personnel, NGOs, officials of government, members of the National Legislature, civil society organizations, members of the business community and regional and international media support institutions. Information Minister Laurence K. Bropleh is expected to deliver the opening address on Wednesday, while several media stakeholders, civil society and government officials will speak on various thematic concerns. The Union said the conference will “assist the media acquire a better understanding of issues,” which will invariably lead to better and more professional reports with the view of avoiding claims of libel and slander; increase public confidence in seeking redress through the self-regulatory mechanism for alleged media transgressions against members of the public.
Original link here.
CLARIFICATION: Funding for the conference has been generously provided by UNDP and FreeVoice—rather than TrustAfrica, as the article suggests. However, Sidi Diawara, TrustAfrica’s Civil Society Programs Specialist in Liberia, is serving as chief facilitator for the event.