Bamba,
To presume is to suppose something to be true without certainty. I did not
think that you've already believed Ebou Jallow's revealations. No where did
I qualify that. Hence the misunderstanding.
Thanks for the comment, compelling me to clarify. 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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