In today’s world, no one can escape the arguably frightening effects of the media (whether traditional or new). Academic works continue to suggest that, on average, we are exposed (and mind-set altered, in most cases) to a minimum of 1000 media messages (depending on frequency and volume of consumption) daily. Media Messages are found in diverse social, electronic and print media.
Post Second World War, subscribing to media and communication scholarship proposed by leading scholars and theorists like Shannon & Weaver, Everett Rogers, Wilbur Schramm, and more, Melkote & Steeves (2001) argue that because we see, read, hear and touch hundreds of media messages every day, on average, these information commodities therefore exercise massive influence and power in our social behaviours – and the need to intermittently study and share findings is fitting, principally, as the world becomes more socially complex.
One of the most appealing concepts in Political Theory is Normative Theorising – the ability to prescribe how social operations should be conducted (or how things should be), rather than how they are now. In contrast to empiricism or descriptive research, Normative Theorising assesses, suggests and rationalises norms and standards; thus, the academic articles in this Report intend to critique findings of critical media issues, thoroughly analyse and recommend ideas and models for media reform, regulation and media and society interaction across Sierra Leone and by extension the sub region.
In the last 20 years, I have been fortunate to participate in a reasonable number of sophisticated and intellectually rigorous debates, academic discourses, or theoretical monologues in Sierra Leone and abroad, related to media reform, regulation, challenges, and the overall contribution to state-building and social progress. The quality of the content of the articles herein can be relatively easily measured up to that of those I have read in other academic publications.
The conceptual organisation of this 2024 State of the Media Report publication addresses critical media issues that affect human behaviour and social development, both positively and negatively. It ranges from examining the media ecosystem in Sierra Leone in 2024, diving deeply into operations, regulations, freedom, and capacity building, and contributions to national development, to analysing the right to access information, and to exploring bloggers’ performance in the current new media space in Sierra Leone, and to a critical examination of the new cybersecurity law and its effect on freedom of expression.
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