Philipbert Browne Becomes ‘PRO’ For Gov’t, Calls Meeting For ‘Select’ Media Executives To Strategize, While Others Expressing Disillusion

Mr. Philipbert Browne, publisher of the independent Hot Pepper newspaper and a onetime critic of the ruling  Coalition for Democratic  Change (CDC) of President George Weah, has now organized a public relations firm, the Long Stone Media Consultancy to render ‘PR’ services for the government, today, September 10, 2019 had a ‘select’ media executives meeting.

The meeting which was held at the private office of Mr. Browne on Benson Street, Monrovia gathered few publishers including some executives of the Publishers Association of Liberia, while majority of the sector were left uninvited, a situation which angered many journalists prompting them to organize an Independent Publishers Association.

According to information gathered by the GNN, the objective of today’s meeting was to see how best these ‘select’ media executives could render their professional services towards promoting the CDC-led government’s pro-poor agenda for prosperity and development, and to further to promote the issue of the ‘Salary Harmonization’ currently being proposed by the government .

Some of those media executives who were not invited by Mr. Browne’s media consultancy firm are expressing displeasure, blaming the leadership of the Publishers Association (PAL) for being selective in the process, noting that if the President and his Vice President of the Association, Mr. Othello Garblah and Sam Deam are part of the Browne’s called meeting without the involvement of bulk of the publishers is tantamount of “Us forming an Independent Publisher Association of Liberia (IPAL),” an aggrieved member of PAL speaking to the GNN said.

However, justifying his presence at the meeting today, the PAL President, Mr. Othello Garblah said on the association social media platform said, his presence at the meeting was due to his position as Managing Editor of the New Dawn newspaper and not as President of PAL.

One of the Publishers, Alfred Togba on the same platform said, “The formation of an Independent Association of Liberia will save the integrity of this noble organization,” and further proposed a call meeting tomorrow, September 11, 2019 amongst some of the aggrieved members at his Camp Johnson Road office.