Mboge,

I am tempted to agree with you but might I share some observations in order that this issue may be resolved AMICABLY. It is not valuable for me to take sides.

1. Foroyaa is a registered business. Perhaps a sole proprietorship.
2. Foroyaa is a news organization, a print & electronic Newspaper.
3. There has been occasion where Foroyaa proprietors had to vehemently defend the integrity of the business as independent of the political party PDOIS.
4. PDOIS has a People's bureau or Social Center.
5. Visitors to Foroyaa premises who seek refuge or assistance from PDOIS should be re-directed to the People's center.
6. Only news informants, witnesses to news, and Foroyaa employees or independent contractors should FREQUENT Foroyaa premises to assist in the news gathering and publication purposes for which Foroyaa is licensed to conduct.
7. When a for-profit business is transformed into a refuge it takes on the character of the people's center/bureau which is formed for that purpose.
8. It does not matter what the party affiliation of those seeking refuge are. By bringing up party affiliation of the indigent, you are admitting to the fact that a for-profit private media organization is doubling up as a political campaign tool.
9. This is one of the reasons why the NIA would be hovering around Foroyaa and hounding its reporters and editors for due-diligence.
10. If Halifa maintains the separation and the appearance of independence, he would have no need to spend days at the NIA to defend any reporter on their work product. The reporters must be trained to gather factual and accurate information and defend their stories. When a reporter of Foroyaa is taken to court for slander, libel, or plagiarism, Foroyaa must hire competent counsel to defend their reporter's integrity. The cost of defense is a cost of doing business. If any reporter is erroneously or illegally dragged to court or imprisoned, the people of Gambia and the Gambia Press Union should mobilize to seek relief for that reporter. That is now beyond the purview of Halifa as proprietor of Foroyaa. It is now a human rights issue.
11. When Halifa institutes the Vrai independence of Foroyaa, he will be relieved of having to defend intransigence or errors and omissions of Foroyaa reporters and editors.
12. Foroyaa's proprietor and Editor are both officers of the political party PDOIS. That is unhealthy for a for-profit non-partisan newspaper.

So help me DaarManso.

-----Original Message-----
From: Modou Mboge <[log in to unmask]>
To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Mon, Jan 23, 2012 5:11 am
Subject: Re: [G_L] Disturbing Revelations coming out of Foroyaa Reporters' grievances!!!

I guess my comment will be viewed by the cynics as coming from a fanatic. I do not give a damn. Well, it is anyones prerogative to think and conclude whatever one wishes.

My conclusion is Halifa's anger is genuine. One must read the whole transcription of the said remarks and the other exchanges between Foroyaa and Jollofnews. The reporters were not talked down to. In my view, Halifa is irked by the resentment these so-called reporters are showing to those coming to the Foroyaa premises to seek help for their problems. As Halifa noted the place is a public place and open to everyone who needs their services. He further notes they will help anyone if they can regardless of political or any other affliations.

The reporters themselves acknowledge that none of them have ever been forced to do anything against their will, Halifa seem to be serving as the legal expert to keep reporters out of trouble which i think is very vital.

There is nothing bad with going to a place of refuge and in fact the Foroyaa premises is indeed a place of refuge where people seek and get help for their problems. Many social service centres are places of refuge, so i wonder what is all the fuss about the term refuge.

Halifa Sallah is no super human being and getting angry is human. The nature of the complains if the reports we are reading is anything to go by suggest that these reporters greviances are misplaced. How can one be resentful to people seeking help for their problems is beyond me. These reporters are not complaining about being forced to do what they don't want to do, instead the complains seem to be unfounded.

It is becoming increasingly ridiculous in the attempt to villify Halifa and his friends. I can hear the shrill voices saying we have the right to criticise and take Halifa and co to task. Well, no one is stopping you but make sure you do not go fishing for any kind of salacious innuendo to justify your agenda and expect everyone to accept your's as the truth.

Mboge

On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 9:50 AM, Demba Baldeh <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

A report carried by Foroyaa today indicated some serious tension between the editorial board and the staff reporters. From what we have read on Freedom and Jollof News, it raises more questions about the reporters' relationship with the editors and some of the stories that may have reached foroyaa but never made it to the public light..

The report stated "The classical example is Fabakary’s artcle on Vice-President was released by the police.He has not done his investigation properly. He didn’t know, he published that she is still in detention. They called me, and all that existed was for me to say ‘’look at the byline”. Why are you NIA calling me? What did I do? I accepted responsibility for him because it is more difficult to nail me than to nail anyone of you. I slept there for how many days when I could have simply said look at the byline and go and get him. That’s what you call a sense of responsibility."

Was the Vice President of the country arrested/detained and it was not made public? Did Halifa got arrested and detained for days with the NIA and it never made it to the public despite both Halifa and VP Saidy being public officials? Read the report on freedom: Freedom . Also read a subsequent report about the same grievance on JollofNews.

If the report on freedom is to go by... Halifa again has come out very hard on his reporters. His speech to them shows anger and talking above the reporters even insinuating that those reporters got their jobs by hanging around there or taking refuge. This is really very disturbing coming from such a leader like Halifa.

Anyway, just my thoughts and we shall reach out to halifa again for clarification... just food for thought...

Demba

--
"Be the change you want to see in the World"

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