I must admit how dismayed and disgraced I was too to read what the Observer wrote. This was very disappointing and unexplainable. recently, the Observer has shown a lot of unprofessional ism and they need to be more responsible that that.
They never even verified the information on the donkey case. How do they even know that it happened? Even if it did, why on publication?
Most importantly, the kind of composition writings(writings without news and substance) they have been doing is just not journalism. I hope they get their acts together.
Alieu.
Bulli Dibba <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Mr. Sanneh,
I was equally disturbed by the story and I am also writing to the editor
in- chief of Daily Observer to expree my dismay.I hope some one from Daily
Observer would come out and explain the decision to put out such an awful
story.
Regards
Dibba
On 13 Jun 2004, abdoukarim sanneh wrote:
> From:"DIDA HALAKE" Add to Address
> BookTo:[log in to unmask]:Negative Stories & Daily
> Observer's ResponsibilityDate:Sun, 13 Jun 2004 11:50:07 +0000 [input]
> [input] [input] [input]
>
> Abdou,
>
>
>
> Please post this letter on Gambia-L for me. Many thanks.
>
>
>
> Dear Editor of Daily Observer,
>
>
>
> A few days ago I wrote to Sheriff Bojang of my delight at seeing an
> enlightened and balanced “Opinion” in the Daily Observer on the ethics
and
> practice of journalism by Chief Manneh. By this weekend I was mighty
> disappointed to see an awful story, “Man Makes Love to Donkey”, sent all
over
> the world by the Daily Observer.
>
>
>
> Surely, of what public value is the publicity given to the deranged act
of
> one man who obviously belongs in a mental hospital? Do Gambians want to
read
> this kind of nonsense in the only daily newspaper in the country? Is it
fair
> to besmirch the reputation of the country because of one deranged man’s
act
> of madness?
>
>
>
> As you know, I have personally written many pages in the Daily Observer
and
> in British papers promoting The Gambia to the outside world. You will
> remember some of my stories such as “Gambia and the African Diaspora”,
“Alex
> Haley’s Roots”, etc. I take five minutes out of my lectures all over the
UK
> to encourage people to visit The Gambia. My website is thoroughly
positive
> about The Gambia and my teacher-colleagues and pupils who have seen it
want
> to visit The Gambia. This December, 20 British youngsters, who have
raised
> the money themselves, will be coming to The Gambia to starting building a
> library for a senior secondary school which hasn’t got a library. In July
> 2005, another 30 British youngsters are coming to The Gambia to build a
> Madrassa and English Language Classroom in a village. You may recall my
> equally positive interview of Gambia Experience’s Stephen Wylde. If you
look
> at the Gambia Experience website you will see that they are using that
> interview to sell the Gambia to
> tourists. People choose to visit The Gambia because they have a positive
> image of the country. But …
>
>
>
> What does it say to the wider world about The Gambia when people read of
> “man making love to donkey”, “man accused of penis snatching”, “woman
throws
> baby in well”, “child in ritual killing”, “old Brit has sex with 20
girls”,
> etc, etc. Of course, you have a right to choose your editorial
priorities,
> but in the past twelve months people abroad will have read more about
> paedophilia in The Gambia than anything else about this wonderful country
and
> its people. During the world’s most co-ordinated demonstration ever,
against
> Iraq war in February 2003, the whole world saw the demonstration as the
lead
> story. But not the Daily Observer. My coverage was the main headline in
> Zimbabwe’s Daily News, but Gambia’s Daily Observer chose a screaming
headline
> on paedophilia arrests in the country even though the most serious charge
in
> those arrests has result in an acquittal.
>
>
>
> I am not talking of censorship here, but of responsibility – as outlined
in
> your pages this week by Chief Manneh. Even the Independent this week
advised
> Gambians to think twice before they jump into the dangerous waters of
> tribalism and religion. The image of a country like The Gambia, which
depends
> so much on visitors to the country, is equally important. In the past, I
have
> had long discussions with Daily Observer’s then Editor-in-Chief/MD
Sheriff
> Bojang, and his then boss Baba Jobe, about the negative content in the
> country’s only national daily, especially in the Week-End Observer. The
> answer I got was that those silly stories are what sell the paper
locally,
> and anyway as a “foreigner” I wouldn’t understand – the “foreigner”
charge
> was from Baba’s “boy boy”. So be it, if such stories are what the Daily
> Observer’s local readers want. But, does the Daily Observer need to
publish
> such stories on the internet for the whole world to see and sneer?
>
>
>
> Yours sincerely,
>
> Dida Halake, Kotu and UK.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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