>From: [log in to unmask] >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: [Fwd: Liberian Editor Resigns Over alleged Censorship Scandal- > Veteran Journalist Kenneth Y Best on the spot light!!!!!] >Date: Sat, 27 Aug 2005 15:39:30 -0700 (PDT) > >---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- > >Liberian Observer online newspaper, Editor Rodney Seih, has resigned with >immediate effect following media censorship, the AllGambian can reveal. >Mr.Sey, a former BBC Banjul correspondent in a statement Friday says, his >action to quit the Observer was purely based on ethical reasons, as he >hinted about internal censorship within the newspaper. > >Mr.Sey who had fallen out with his uncle, veteran journalist Kenneth Y >Best, proprietor of the Liberian Observer, gave a comprehensive account >about the circumstances leading to his abrupt resignation. He exposed >alleged attempts made by Mr.Best to down play a corruption story, >affecting the Liberian embassy in the United States and its Ambassador >Charles A. Minor, who was indicted by Liberia's AUDITOR GENERAL’S REPORT >for alleged financial impropriety. > >Mr.Best, also the former Banjul Daily Observer newspaper proprietor, had >not yet publicly reacted to the censorship charges made against him by his >former colleague Rodney Seih, who is widely described as a principled, >dedicated and fearless journalist. Below is Mr.Sey's letter sent to >AllGambian Editor Pa Nderry M'Bai. > > >Signing Off: Observer Online Editor Calls it Quits Over Ambassador Minor >Scandal > >August 26, 2005 >Dear Readers, > > >A little over nine months ago, I accepted an invitation from my uncle, Mr. >Kenneth Y. Best to help him begin the campaign to re-launch the Daily >Observer. >The goal was to produce a first class online forum, replica of the >Observer of >old, where the people could freely express their views without fear, >intimidation or threats-thus paving the way for the Daily Observer on the >ground in Monrovia. > >I took up this challenge solely on a volunteer basis, utilizing every bone >in my >body and breadth of my life, to ensure that the paper’s long-standing >reputation >remain in tact and in the process help restore and revamp the credibility >of journalism in my beloved Liberia. > >Besides being my uncle, Mr. Best has always been my idol, a friend and >the long-lost father I never had. It is in this light, that I regret to >inform > you >all that I have decided to step down as editor-in-chief of the online >Daily Observer due to editorial differences with Mr. Best. > >I first joined Mr. Best in The Gambia in 1992 as a sports editor/reporter >for >the Gambia Daily Observer. As a young lad I, like most of you was very >proud of >the Observer, so proud that during my elementary school days, I >volunteered to >sell the newspapers on the streets of Monrovia and my neighborhood in >Paynesville after school. It was something, I did with pride. >I remembered the many days the Observer was shut down and I would go >without an >after-school job. I even help the Best family sell cookies and bread >during one >of the longest closure under the Samuel Doe regime. >I love Mr. Best to death and would do anything to support him and his >family. While in The Gambia I was fortunate to land a job as a reporter >for the British >Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC. > >Things were going fine for the Observer until Yahya Jammeh and his forces >seized >power from Sir Dawda Jawara who had ruled the Gambia since independence. >In just >over a few months the new government had begun to show the >sign-of-the-times that had corrupted previous rulers before them on the >African continent. When the Observer began to reflect the sentiments of >Gambians, the military junta became uncomfortable. Following the arrest of >Mr. Best I called the BBC Focus on African and informed them of what had >occurred. I told them I could give them the information, but I was afraid >to do a two-way interview for fear >that I may become a target. The producers insisted that they would prefer >the interview and I concurred. Following the airing of the interview, >Jammeh’s plain-clothes soldiers came after me. I spent two weeks in hiding >before fleeing to London. >I spent a few months in London contemplating my next move, before finally >deciding to settle in the United States. >Over the years I have successful managed to hone my journalism skills >through education and my work with several major dailies in the United >States. My work with the Observer was more of a moonlighting one. Besides >serving as Editor, I am also a part-owner in the online publication. It >takes a lot of work, sleepless nights and dedication and devotion to come >up >with what you all have come to love and appreciate. > >From James Yarclay to J.D. Slanger, from David Johnson to Charles Minor, >the >team of dedicated reporters, mostly volunteers worked hard to produce and >present stories that we felt were factual, credible and in all cases >supported >by supporting documents and proof to back them up. Not once have we posted >a story on this website that was not supported by documentary evidence. In >the process of exposing the flaws, the good, the bad and the ugly of many >of our fellow Liberians and political leaders, we have been accused from >all sides of >being unfair and partial, especially when it involves someone they like or >support. > >I have never hidden any letters, opinion piece or commentary that was >critical >of the Observer, of me or of any member of our staff. I’ve always strived >to present all sides of the story before posting on the web. >The Ellen Saga > >A few weeks ago, I received an information that Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was >in possession of an American citizenship. Thankfully, Mrs. Sirleaf was in >the U.S. >at the time. I contacted her brother Mr. Abe Johnson and told him what I >had in >my possession. Mr. Johnson informed me that he was on his way to pick up >Mrs. Sirleaf up and would get back to me in about 30 minutes. To this day, >I haven’t >heard from Mr. Johnson. > >I received a phone call from Mr. Best the following morning informing me >that Mrs. Sirleaf had called him to say that if we ran the story it would >cause the >campaign to backpedal a bit because of the controversy. Neither Mr. Best >or anyone from Ellen’s camp answered my inquiries about whether or not >Ellen was a >citizen. > >The story we carried was not about Ellen’s citizenship, it was a follow-up >to a >USA Today story which stated that a candidate for the presidency of >Liberia resided in the Virginia area. An investigation by the Observer >discovered that >only three persons in the race resided or had residence in that area. John >Morlu, Charles Brumskine and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. > >I informed Mr. Best that as much as I respected Mrs. Sirleaf, the Observer >was >not a member of her public relations staff and suggested that it should >not be >our concern whether the story caused her to back track- that should be the >problem of her public relations team. All she had to tell me was whether >she was a citizen or not. All I could gather from her camp was that she >had a permanent residency card which she had surrendered to the United >Nations in 1992. > >My thinking was that it would not be fair to the candidacy of Mr. George >Weah if >we did not raise questions about a story that said three candidates in the >race >for the Liberian presidency resided in the Virginia area. We had >rigorously stirred a debate regarding Mr. Weah’s citizenship so I felt we >had to do the same for Ellen, Brumskine and Morlu. Of the three, only Mr. >Morlu was able to come forward and show the Observer a copy of his green >card. I know of no journalist in the world who would have such information >and not raise questions >about it. These are the kinds of stories that made the Observer famous >over the >years. > >Following the story, the Ellen camp still failed to answer the questions >raised, >but instead resorted to a personal attacks on my credibility. In my >continued effort to promote transparency, I published their news >release-unedited. Ironically, the first major story the Observer carried >on its website involved a >scandal which has now led to my reason for leaving. >The Charles Minor Scandal >Ambassador Charles Minor called the Observer in January to say that his >employees were in engaged in corruption at the Liberian embassy in >Washington, >D.C. The diplomat informed the Observer that he was shutting down the >consulate >section until pending an investigation. >A team of investigators was sent to probe Mr. Minor's claims, not to CLEAR >HIM, >or EXONERATE HIM. >I'll get to that later. >Reporter Sidiki Trawally and I received documents from the audit based on >the Inspector General's findings. We were fully aware of the friction >between Ambassador Minor and Foreign Minister Yahya Nimely. It is no >secret that Minor >and Nimely do not see eye to eye and everyone knows that the ambassador >has the >support of Gyude Bryant and has been at loggerheads with Nimely. >It is in this light that we made several efforts to contact ambassador >Minor before going with the story. We even asked Mr. Best to talk to his >friend, the >ambassador about the report. I personally told Mr. Best that we had in our >possession a copy of the audit in which the foreign minister asked >Ambassador Minor to account for some $300,000 he allegedly received from >NTGL chairman Gyude Bryant. We never accused Minor of stealing, we only >said the audit pointed to him and Bryant. >Reporter Trawally and I even tried to call the ambassador on his cell >phone and >left several detailed messages explaining the magnitude of the minister's >claims. The messages were not "Ambassador, this is the Observer, please >called >back." It explained what we had in our possession. >We even contacted Mr. Samuel Z. Abou, who is Minor's point press man at >the embassy. Instead of answering the concerns raised in the Inspector >General's report, Mr. Abou tried to convince us to kill the story. It was >at that point that we decided that the embassy may be trying to hide >something and so we ran with the story. >Two days later, we learnt that Ambassador Minor and his wife had gone to >Mr. Best's residence in Silver Spring, Maryland and threatened to sue the >Observer >if the story was not retracted. >It was during that confrontation that the ambassador finally presented Mr. >Best >with a copy of the auditor general's findings which supported his concerns >about corruption at the embassy. >Mr. Best instructed me to immediately come out with a story and headline >to say >"Auditor General's Report Exonerates Minor". >However, after reporter Sidiki Trawally, Observer Project co-ordinator >Abraham >Walker and I read through the report we could not find any instance where >the Auditor General report EXONERATED or CLEARED the ambassador. >How could we run a headline that says exoneration when it was not stated >in the >report. We were even instructed to take the word SCANDAL from the stories >on the website. >We decided that the only way to solve this issue was come out with a story >that >said ONE AUDIT, TWO FINDINGS, which pretty much summed the scandal up. We >have two auditors, one representing Gyude Bryant, the auditor general and >the >other representing the foreign minister or Liberia. However, we were being >told >to delete any reference to the inspector general because his voice did not >count and only go with the auditor general's finding. >One Audit, Two Findings >I refused to go along with this plan because it meant taking sides. On >Monday morning we came up with the headline One Audit, Two Findings as >well >as a story headlined: Audit Supports ambassador's fears about Corruption >at the >Liberian Embassy. We also carried a letter written by Bryant's Economic >Advisor, Harry Greaves, who obviously had not known that we had contacted >the ambassador to no avail, criticizing our previous story on the matter. >We carried a reaction from the Liberian embassy demanding a retraction. as >well as >an editorial explaining how this story unfolded. >Mr. Best insisted that because we did not use the word 'Exoneration' or >'Clear' >then we did not do the ambassador justice. But this audit was never about >exonerating the ambassador, it was about finding out whether or not >corruption >was there. It so happens that a letter from Nimely asking the ambassador >to account for the money showed up in the report. I have also been >chastised for >an editor's note under the Liberian Embassy Reacts that said: We Stand By >Our Story. >I wrote Mr. Best and the rest of the Observer staff informing them that I >was not in the favor of any report that would 'EXONERATE' a government >official and >'TARNISH' the good image of my reporter Sidiki Trawally and I. I Defend >our story and will continue to do so until the day I ambassador Minor >accounts for >the money sent by Bryant or until I die. >Mr. Best decided to go ahead and post a story without a byline exonerating >the >ambassador. >I really wish we hadn't departed on this note, but it is something which I >have >to do, for my credibility and to protect what I've fought so hard to >create. All I ever wanted was to protect the Observer reputation, if doing >so was wrong, >I wish to never again, be right in my journalistic life. > > > > > > > > > > > > > DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove... >Previous | Next | Back to Messages Save Message Text >Check MailComposeCompose Text Msg Search MailSearch the Web > >Move Options >[New Folder] >Forward Options >As Inline Text >As Attachment >Reply Options >Reply To Sender >Reply To Everyone >Mail Shortcuts >Check Mail Ctrl++C >Compose Ctrl++P >Folders Ctrl++F >Advanced Search Ctrl++S >Options >Help Ctrl++H >Address Book Shortcuts >Add Contact >Add Category >Add List >View Contacts >View Lists >Quickbuilder >Import Contacts >Synchronise >Addresses Options >Addresses Help >Calendar Shortcuts >Add Event >Add Task >Add Birthday >Day >Week >Month >Year >Event List >Reminders >Tasks >Sharing >Synchronise >Calendar Options >Calendar Help >Notepad Shortcuts >Add Note >Add Folder >View Notes >Notepad Options >Notepad Help >Advanced Search >Advanced Search > > >Copyright © 1994-2005 Yahoo! 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