NEWS
State of the Daily Observer - Former Staffers Sound off
By Fatou Jaw Manneh



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November 4, 2005
The Gambian Daily Observer, from its inception to even its current
unseemly times, has been the fulcrum of Gambian journalism. It is the only
daily; has contributed to the intellectual development of our people; has
produced a cadre of writers /reporters. All this was possible because of
the professionalism and objectivity, good enablers of creativity and
informational dissemination, of the paper. Now that these traits are being
expunged from the Observer, we should be wondering about what the future
of Gambian journalism holds vis-à-vis what is prevailing at the daily. We
have to start gazing at the trends and if possible, offer prescriptions
that will help the journalism sector in some ways. Former Daily Observer
commentators and reporters put their analytical caps on and examine what
the current crisis at the DO portends for the future of Gambian
journalism. Compiled by Fatou Jaw Manneh, former observer reporter.
Demba Jawo, Senior Reporter, Editor
I cannot agree more with you that we all need to reflect on what is
currently going on at the Daily Observer and see whether anything can be
done to reverse the unfortunate trend. The Observer had been the first
school for Gambian journalists and many of us either learnt or perfected
the trade from there. It is therefore quite sad to see this important
institution being transformed into a mere propaganda organ for the ruling
party. However, the former proprietor Kenneth Best was duped into selling
it to the APRC, while no doubt he thought that he was actually selling it
to a bona fide business man. Therefore, I wonder whether it is not too
late to do something to reverse this situation. It appears that we are
faced with fait accompli, and as long as the APRC remains in power, there
is very little anyone can do about it.
Sarjo Banyang, Former Features writer, Daily Observer pioneer days
You have the right grip of facts about journalism in Gambia. When a
government is desperate for praise and recognition, this is the type of
situation it creates. For a long time many of us have been told how the
Daily Observer we so cherish have now fallen in the wrong hands of state
manipulators. It is now coming out clear that the one time rumours of
smoke is now wild fire for the Observer. It is so many years since the
regime sent out of Gambia Mr. Kenneth Best, our able Managing Director and
the Maker of this most cherished daily. Since Mr. Best left Gambia, the
Daily Observer has never been the same paper it was known for. It has
taken this long but the truth is alive and kicking. You cannot destroy the
hand that creates and expect the best product. I am not surprised that the
Gambia's Daily Observer is being laid to rest at least until such time
that the right hands inject better life in it. This one will have to go.
So let it go. To Mr. Best, those of us who worked with you when you
started the paper knew how much you meant to serve the Gambian media. Your
fruits are ripe and no amount of media suppression in Gambia can stop this
happen. The doors you opened more than ten years ago are open wider. Many
thanks for all the confidence you had in us to be part of your good
initiatives. The instruments of communication modern technology
facilitates means beyond the dictates of any interest group to break. Will
this not mean the creation of a cyber environment where a better Daily
Observer can serve the best interest of Gambian readership? What do you
all think of this? No need for panic.
Pa Samba Jow, Former reporter, the Observer
It is sad to see the Daily Observer which strived on investigative
reporting and professionalism thereby, giving most Gambian youths
including myself and countless others the opportunity to get in the field
of journalism, to relapse to its current level of sycophancy and
mediocrity. What is however, more disconcerting is to have people
compromise their integrity and professionalism by working for what has
become the mouthpiece of a regime that is doing everything to see an end
to the independent press In the Gambia.
Cherno Baba Jallow/ former writer and columnist for The Daily Observer
Following the shocking sacking of D.A. Jawo from the Daily Observer in
1999, I admonished the new management against blending partisan politics
with objective journalism. "The two do not mix; they are at variance," I
wrote. Well, in the intervening years since, good journalism has taken a
flight from the Observer. Instead of being a serious chronicler of people
and events, the Observer has become a constituency of the APRC government,
an irony in itself since the paper started as an independent press, the
product of hard-won individual efforts coalesced around the ideals of free
speech and people empowerment.

Today, the Observer is no longer the catalyst for change it once used to
be. Because of its susceptibility to governmental machinations, the
Observer cannot be taken seriously in its contribution towards Gambian
society. Absent a renewal of professional purposefulness at the Observer,
the paper risks full irrelevancy years ahead. But the perennial crises at
the Observer have some adverse consequences for Gambian journalism, and
society as a whole. How?

Consider: first, since the Observer is the only daily, it has the
potential to reach a wider audience and that ensures a greater consumption
of information and hence, a more informed citizenry. But that requires
information relevant to and helpful in, the nourishment of the daily lives
of the people. But the information in the Observer has long left that
realm of public necessity. The reportage and editorialization at the
Observer lack depth and do not aid the public in being roundly informed or
enlightened about daily realities. Since the paper's editorial
independence is all but gone, the Observer cannot be expected to do
serious reporting and commentary on the government. Thus, the Observer is
being handicapped, by dint of political manipulation, in its journalistic
undertakings. The paper is starving the Gambian public of much needed news
and opinions, and it is no wonder then its readership levels have depleted
over the years.

And second, the Observer is stifling creativity in its emphasis, apparent
as it may seem, on groupthink rather than individual initiative. From its
board of directors to its present management, the line of thinking is the
same: Write more, if not only, on the "positives" of government policies
as they affect society. This is an environment that fosters anemic
performance. Thus, creative thinking buttressed by objectivity, becomes an
elusive concept in the running of the paper. Yet part of the legacy of the
Daily Observer press especially under Kenneth Y. Best, was its emphasis on
acquisitive knowledge: learning on the job. Most of the reporters and
writers that worked at the paper at the time had never been exposed to any
practical journalism. But Best gave the motivation and showed the zeal,
for individual growth and development. By giving reporters enough room to
navigate their journalistic responsibilities, by telling them to "write on
anything", they were being trained on the necessity of a free press in a
society and on what was expected of them in the dissemination of
information to the general public.

Today, the Observer employees have been compelled to believe that they
work for management not the readers. The former editor Sheriff Bojang, a
fine writer in his own right, was forced to walk a thin line between
loyalty to his readers and to his "political" patrons. He couldn't be
himself. You could tell from the hesitations and indecisiveness in his
writings. He wanted to speak truth to power but was worried about
offending management. The Observer has made a hash of Bojang's legacy.

The general implications for Gambian journalism, especially in the future,
is that the Observer, because it is no longer a free press like its days
of old, risks churning out journalists unhappy with their trade because
they were not motivated to think for themselves, be creative and original,
independent and open-minded. The spill-over effects on Gambian journalism
will be costly.



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