STATE OF THE MEDIA REPORT 2016

This edition of the State of the Media Report 2016, is our Christmas present to our readers –
the public, our stakeholders and our sponsors. We have assembled an impressive team of
writers to share their perspectives on issues pertaining to the media in Sierra Leone. Our
contributors traverse both the academic and professional worlds with active research agendas
investigating the perplexing problems of journalism in Sierra Leone and in general media
studies and communication.
Francis Sowa investigates the challenges of media management and the issues of profitability
and sustainability and the concept of “media poverty” to proffer understanding of why our
media systems are still not yet serious money-making agencies. He then collaborates with
lawyer Joseph Kapuwa to make a case for the repeal of the Public Order Act of 1965.
Isaac Massaquoi takes on the controversial concept of “objectivity” and argues that the
professional world of journalism should “ditch” that concept to save the profession.
Tony Musa looks at the growing phenomenon of Social Media and its impact on the electoral
process. He focuses particularly on conversations on Facebook and WhatsApp and their impact
on the coming March 7, 2018 general elections. He also writes about the need for fair
distribution of the available radio frequencies in Sierra Leone.
Williette PRO James, our Gender Expert, provides an update of the vexing problem of women’s
struggle from both the global context and the Sierra Leone experience.