Bamba,
It's not simply a matter of substantiating the 'source' of the
letter/article, that makes it wothwhile to go to press. It is also when that
source's presence is attainable for the newspaper, when it lands into legal
pitfalls. That's why letters to the editor must include the sender's name
and address, before any publication can take place. Editors need this
information for legal reasons. True, the source of the information was Ebou
Jallow, but Jallow was out of reach for the editor, and no way was it
possible to check the veracity of his allegations at the time.
Dave Manneh is very right about newspapers printing information, which would
compel the other party to react, thereby widening the scope of the
newsreport. True, editors do use this method to bring news to the public,
but it is a method not applicable to all instances. It was not simply a
question of throwing Jallow's allegations on the front page, and hope the
affected party would just react and defend their versions of the story.
Remember those affected by Jallow's ghastly details, had their integrities
sullied, and without even a scintilla of evidence to support such a
newsreport, an editor would squirm in his seat before going to press on
that. I understand our collective interest to package Jallow's information
for public consumption. Gambians were in hushed anticipation for information
about Koro's gruesome death. But it was a difficult scenario having to
balance your journalistic duty to ferry out information to the public with
ethics requiring that that information be true, verifiable and sacrosant to
the national collective.
Let me reveal this, which I failed to do earlier: I, personally, along with
Ebrima Ceesay, did want Jallow's letter to go into print. We did argue our
points to that effect,like all of you are currently doing. But when it came
to assessing and verifying Jallow's allegations and measuring up to the
legal consequences, we lost the debate to some senior editors. You are very
right I and others did write very controversial stories during the
transition. I personally wrote numerous times on Koro, and I used my column
to constantly call the government to account. Needless to say, do you know
the number of threats I received just for doubting Jammeh's intention, very
early in the transition, to order a probe into Koro's death? The anonymous
phone calls with vile threats? True, with God's help, I was able to survive
all this.
In my opinion, publishing Jallow's allegations would have marked the highest
point of criticality of newspaper reports in The Gambia. I don't think we
would have published stories more controversial in scope and content than
Jallow's allegations, had they went to press. If my memory serves me right.
I agree with your clarion call to start probing the Gambian press during the
transition. Journalists are the most unaccountable people in society; the
only way they can be held accountable is when their readerships put their
integrities and those of their stories, to the test.
Your exchanges with me are quite interesting and educative. You have
compelled me to share my little knowledge of journalism to others.
Realistically, I am not in the business of journalism anymore. I am now
carving a new niche in other areas.
Once again, excuse me for the misundertanding. My presumption of your
believing Jallow's allegations was not necessarily indicative of certainty
or believability on your part, about Jallow's account. I wish I made my self
clearer. And you are at liberty to scrutnize the Observer and any other
newspaper in The Gambia. That's healthy.
Thanks. Bye.
Cherno Baba Jallow
Detroit, MI
>From: Bamba Laye <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Bamba Laye <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Ebou Jallows' revelations
>Date: Mon, 27 Dec 1999 09:33:08 -0600
>
>Cherno,
>Thanks for the effort in clarifying. Mr. Manneh has said most of what I was
>going to write here, but one thing I would like to get out of the way is
>your presumption of my position in the whole affair:
>"Presumably, you've already made up your mind that Jallow's revealations
>are
>true or are verifiable by his own narration of events. "
> Cherno, sorry if I sound blunt, but it is damned ludicrous for you to
>think that I believe Ebous' story just because I challenged Observers'
>decision not to publish it!
>No wonder you came up with that decision. Is this how you view critics as a
>competent professional journalists? When I first read Ebon writings, I had
>my reservations like many have said in this forum, he was part of them. Why
>did he wait so long? So, when you mentioned that he did indeed write a
>similar story few years earlier, I had to reposition my thoughts about the
>issue, not necessarily accept the story as the truth. What I am trying
>emphasize is that the people have the right to read his side of the story
>at a time when they are dying to know, whether they will buy it or not
>should be left for them to decide.
> I may not be familiar with journalistic ethics but I do believe that
>if a letter is sent to a paper about an issue that had whole country at
>it's laurels and the source of the letter can be substantiated as you did,
>I do not see why you can't get away with publishing such a letter by
>clearly quoting the source if you have pledged to serve the people. Of
>course I am well aware of the menace you could have gone through by
>publishing such a letter, but the truth is, you did write more
>controversial issues at the time and you survived it!
>
>Perhaps we should start scrutinizing the role of the press during the
>transition period as some of us are doing with PDOIS. I bet a lot of
>anomalies would be unfolded.
>
>Stay safe my brother.
>
>Abdoulie A. Jallow
>
>"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter".
> - Dr. M. L. King Jr.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dave Manneh <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Monday, December 27, 1999 6:42 AM
> Subject: Re: Ebou Jallows' revelations
>
>
> Mr Cherno Jallow,
> You wrote:-
> <<And we couldn't either at the time. Better still, Jallow's
>allegations are one-sided,
> a narration of events, he indicated to have been spoon-fed to him by
>those he
> alleged to have "killed" Koro.>>
> If Ebou's allegation/revelations are so ridiculous, and
>unsubstantiable rubbish,
> why then did the Jammeh regime seemed it fitting to ban VoiceOut?
>
> I am no journalist, and have no knowledge of the ethics of this very
>important and
> noble profession, but I was, and still am with the notion that if a
>story is printed in
> paper/media, and is then refuted by one party or another, then what
>that party has
> to do is to counter the claim with proof, in other word prove it's
>false.
>
> Why were the involved parties not given these opportunities in this
>case?
>
> Why didn't you contact the "other party" and challenge them to refute
>Ebou's
> allegations/revelations?
>
> Please forgive me here, if am out of my depths here, as I stated
>earlier on
> am not much versed in journalistic ethics and practices? But one thing
>which
> comes out crystal clear to me is that your paper's decision not to
>print
> "the one-sided story" is truly "amazing" to say the least.
> It's a bit mind-buggling, in'it?
>
> All the best
> Mr Manneh
> chernob jallow wrote:
>
> Bamba,
> I agree with your feelings. It's sad that Ebou Jallow's
>allegations couldn't
> get through to the Ceesay family or the Gambian people. We all
>would have
> loved to paste his allegations on our newspapers, but provided
>they could be
> substantiated by him or by us, in our own investigations. Jallow
>was already
> in the US;there was no way he could be sought to confirm in a
>court of law,
> the validity of his allegations. And we couldn't either at the
>time. Better
> still, Jallow's allegations are one-sided, a narration of events,
>he
> indicated to have been spoon-fed to him by those he alleged to
>have "killed"
> Koro. Yes, it would have been nice to the Ceesay family or the
>Gambian
> public, to have been told the "circumstances surrounding Koro's
>death"
> according to Ebou Jallow. But what if Jallow's allegations turned
>out false?
>
> Presumably, you've already made up your mind that Jallow's
>revealations are
> true or are verifiable by his own narration of events. Personally,
>I think
> that in as much as Jallow's allegations do give a glint of
>information from
> within, about Koro's death, they, however, should be viewed
>carefully. They
> may be true or false, but only a competent court of law or a
>commission of
> inquiry can authenticate them. And those he alleges to have
>"killed" Koro
> are "innocent" until proven guilty in a court of law or by a
>competent
> Coroner's inquest. So to publish his allegations, which were
>one-sided,
> unsubstantiated, unverifiable at the time, would have been legally
>costly,
> if not, dangerous to a newspaper's existence at the time.
>
> Recently, Jallow used the "Voiceout" column of the Gambianet to
>spread his
> allegations. Now, his information is domestic consumption in The
>Gambia. You
> think that if the Observer had carried his allegations, that
>probably would
> have "compelled others with some knowledge of what happened to
>come forward
> with their own version?" I doubt it. Quite recently, Local
>Government
> Minister Yankuba Touray,whom Jallow alleges to have taken part in
>Koro's
> death, villified the former AFPRC spokesman, rather than give his
>version of
> the story pertaining to Jallow's allegations. Following Jallow's
>information
> on Voiceout, the proprietors of Gambianet were summoned to the
>NIA, and
> subsequently, Voiceout disappeared from Gambianet. Rather than
>speak on
> Jallow's allegations and present their own version of the story,
>Jallow's
> alleged culprits simply resorted to authoritarianism by clamping
>down on
> Gambianet. Could a similar fate have happened to any Gambian
>newspaper which
> published Jallow's allegations, especially if there were no
>substantiation
> efforts on the part of the newspapers, and during those dark, lean
>days of
> press intimidation?
>
> Like I said before, newspapers have to be very careful not to
>publish
> information they cannot substantiate when asked, in court, or by
>national
> public opinion. In as much as we would have loved to render
>service to the
> Gambian people by publishing Jallow's letter, we were equally
>restrained by
> our bounden duty to publish something verifiable by us or the
>source of the
> allegations.
>
> I, personally, have written a lot in taking the AFPRC government
>to task for
> foot-dragging on any investigations into Koro's mysterious death.
>I
> interviewed the Ceesay family,and wrote a scathing column on the
>AFPRC's
> false pretences of pain and misery over Koro's death, when they're
>unwilling
> or unable to mount an inquiry into the late Finance Minister's
>mysterious
> death.
>
> Thanks for your comments. Bye.
>
> Cherno Baba Jallow
> Detroit, MI
>
> >From: Bamba Laye <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: Bamba Laye <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Ebou Jallows' revelations
> >Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 20:15:00 -0600
> >
> >Cherno,
> >You wrote:
> >"Upon receipt of Jallow's letter, Daily Observer's editorial
>board sat down
> >to determine the publishability of Jallow's contents on KOro's
>death. We
> >agreed that they were serious allegations concerning senior
>members of the
> >Ruling Council. And since there was no way to validate Jallow's
> >allegations,
> >we decided not to publish them, but only to put out an 'overview'
>story on
> >Jallow's resignation letter."
> >
> >This is quite an interesting revelation from your end Bro. I am
>curious
> >(and I am sure many on the list are) to know why your editorial
>board
> >decided to discard Ebous' revelations at a time when it could
>have served
> >justice in giving Koros' family and the entire Gambia an idea of
>the actual
> >circumstances surrounding Koros' death. Don't you think that
>publishing the
> >letter would have compelled others with some knowledge of what
>happened to
> >come forward with their own version? Don't you feel that you've
>done some
> >disservice to the people by not publishing the letter or atleast
>hinting at
> >why you think the letter should not be published?
> >I am also interested in knowing if Foroyaa had a copy of this
>letter and
> >what have been done about it with regards to their own
>investigation into
> >the matter? I will be glad if Mr. Sallah could clarify this for
>me.
> >
> >Have a great week and stay safe.
> >
> >Abdoulie A. Jallow
> >
> >"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things
>that matter".
> > - Dr. M. L. King Jr.
>
> ______________________________________________________
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>
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