As Liberian journalists in their hundreds turned out in Sanniquelle, Nimba County to joyously celebrate their umbrella organization, the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) 58th anniversary on September 30, 2022, the Keynote Speaker of the day called on them to be committed to their chosen profession, and also project positive image of their beloved country, Liberia.
Madam Emma Metiah Glassco, Director General of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), speaking further urged journalists to promote the positive image of the county, helping to avert the many negative stories that are not investment friendly.
She however, acknowledged that the media plays a critical role in branding any Country, also pointed out that the contents the media publish, especially with the introduction of the internet, everything is now public and speaks to the nature of the country and could attract or discourage investors or visitors.
She stated that regardless of status everyone must be an ambassador for their country, adding that the contents journalists put out depicts the citizens and country. She said It is about doing what is expedient.
“Liberia’s image was severely damaged during the years of civil strife. For many years, the findings of search engines and international media content portrayed images of the war, the display of child soldiers and all sorts of negative images”.
Those images, she said are still haunting the nation, nearly twenty years after the wars ended.
“It is incumbent upon us all, to erase it with the kind of stories we tell. We in this generation must challenge ourselves to make the change. This is beyond politics; it is about patriotism, it is about rebranding a nation we call home, it is about attracting investment and tourists”.
She is therefore recommending as a means of rebranding Liberia’s image, that journalists’ content and publications in the digital media space must be attractive brands to encourage investment and redirect people to Liberia and change the views and thinking about the country on the international stage.
The Liberian Fisheries Boss maintained that it is beyond politics because when the image of Liberia is damaged through journalists’ publications on the government, it does not automatically go away even when there is a new government.
‘It is a vice that we will have to live with for a long time, like the scars we still have from the civil war. What we put out there is how people see us.”
The fishery boss urged media platforms to provide a positive image of Liberia “It should be about seeing the glass half full and not half empty.”
For instance, she said “we do have challenges at the Fisheries, our constituents are aware of these challenges. We do not inundate them with news of complaints and negative vices, we see the efforts they have made and we encourage them to do better. Today we have become a brand for innovation and success. Therefore, I will urge you, even as you perform your professional duties as journalists to your country, be reminded to put the country first, above politics, personal interest, and sensation. Let the content give a promising picture. It will reflect on us as a people. As we say in photojournalism, a photo tells the whole story”.
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