Where does Sierra Leone stand after the repeal of part five of the Public Order Act of 1965?
Many people had called for the repeal of the criminal and seditious libel laws of Sierra Leone. To them, the then law criminalizes libel and that such was an inhuman law to treat people that were into the business of news and related matters. Such matters made the agenda of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone where recommendation 79 observed that ‘the laws creating the offences of seditious and criminal libel should be repealed. Conduct aimed at inciting violence or lawless conduct is dealt with elsewhere in the criminal laws of Sierra Leone. Until the laws are repealed, the commission recommends a moratorium on all existing or pending prosecutions for sedition and criminal libel.’’
Months on after the repeal, where does Sierra Leone stand and what does the future hold for credible and balanced journalism? There are people that have argued that a careful and thorough journalist would hardly come into conflict with the law. For others, anyone may make a mistake and that the law should have no place in Sierra Leone’s media landscape. After the repeal of the Public Order Act, Chairman, Sierra Leone Guild of Editors, Donald Theo Harding is on record to have said that the repeal could not have come at a better time. He said that journalists have been suffering for too long and that it was worrying to have criminalized libel.
In Kenema Sierra Leone, the news of the repeal brought joy and hope to the media industry and the practitioners. Journalist Expo Moriba Bockarie of Kamboi Agricultural Radio in Kenema Sierra Leone said that the repeal will change the media narrative in Sierra Leone and that more people will now have the confidence to invest in the media landscape.
For ages, it is believed that politicians have been using the said law to silence the opposition and even newsmen that are seen as attack dogs and radicals. With the repeal, there is renewed hope and it is expected that things will change for the better and that the change will facilitate more and more media investments in Sierra Leone. However, it is necessary to note that the civil aspect of the libel still remains and that it calls for unending professionalism too.
Media and communications’ scholars have argued that journalists must ensure to be accurate at all times. This is what facilitates professionalism. A newsman that cannot accordingly present facts may have missed out on a fundamental media practice. Abu Lahai is a resident of Kenema and he believes that journalists must be careful and setting an agenda for public consumption. To him, the public depends on journalists to know about daily happenings and so it will be necessary for agenda setters to always get the facts right.
In all of this, it is vital to establish that the repeal of the criminal and seditious libel laws of Sierra Leone must not give a rise to inaccurate journalistic practices. That is why it is necessary to main set standards for the good of all and sundry.
It is hard and tough to always present realities. Sometimes, one’s opinions may want to take center stage. This is why it is vital to adhere to set principles and follow the rightful procedures. An eighty year old man in Bo Sierra Leone, Kai Mansa Saquee once said that ‘truth matters in all we do for it is the engine that keeps us all going.’’ It is such wordings that newsmen must learn to embrace because the repeal of part five of the 1965 Public Order Act in Sierra Leone should not in any way create room for reckless and unprofessional journalism.
This article is produced with support from MRCG through the ATJLF project on ‘’Engaging the media to change the narrative on Transitional Justice (TJ) issues in Sierra Leone.
By: Mustapha Sheriff