Table of Contents

                Who We Are?

What We Do?

Foreword

Note from the Executive Director

LMC Then and Now

1. Summary of Activities (2020)
2. Multi-stakeholders Forest Governance and Accountability Project- 2019-2021
3. FreePress Unlimited – Enhancing the COVID- 19 Fight through media outreach and Community Engagement – 2020
4. Internews – Liberia Media Development Program – 20119 – 2020
5. Opportunities – LMC Empowering Its Own

• Our Funders at a Glance

1. Snapshots of LMC Highlights

Who We Are?
The Liberia Media Center exists as a legally registered not-for-profit media and communication firm that foster local development through the utilization of communication and information sources. LMC exists to assist media and civil society with professional services in a wide range of areas, including research, training, outreach and mass communication. It was commissioned in 2005, August. LMC exists also to provide a forum for the periodic assessment of media coverage of significant national and international events, facilitate capacity building programs for civil society and journalists, and render professional services to media and civil society groups.

LMC works with host of partners including the International Research Exchange Board (IREX), the Radio Netherlands Training Center (RNTC), Journalists for Human Rights (jhr), TROCAIRE, and TrustAfrica (TA), Internews, United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), European Union (EU), World Bank, DAI, Palladium Group, Free Press Unlimited to support the development of the media and promote community access to information. LMC works Liberia’s 15 counties and with its partners has redeveloped over 24 local radio stations and have trained close to 2000 local community radio volunteers.

Under its “Strengthened Media for Human Rights and Democratic Governance” project with jhr and supported by DfiD, the Center supported and promoted human rights and governance reporting across the country.

Though heavily involved in reshaping the media landscape over the last 10 years, LMC is best known for its landmark performance in the 2011 Presidential and Legislative Elections through its “Strengthened Media for Transparent Elections” Initiative supported by USAID through IREX. Through the project, Liberians for the first time had access to real time elections results before the official elections management body (National Elections Commission) began releasing results 48 hours later.

Similarly, in 2017, the Liberia Media Center (LMC), and the following keys local organizations: Press Union of Liberia (PUL); Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL); Liberia Women Media Action Committee (LI- WOMAC); and the Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP) established the Deepening Democracy Coalition (DDC) that sought

to ensure that in 2017, Liberia held a national election that was considered not only fee, fair, and transparent, but also issues driven, and gender inclusive. Inherent to this task was a competent and vibrant media culture that was accessible and inclusive; increased awareness of the electoral process through civic education; and that political discourse was allowed and fostered in a propitious environment.

The DDC was of the believe then that there has been a systematic failure in scrutinizing and analyzing candidates’ and political parties’ policies and platforms and disseminating them to the public.

The Center is managed by a nine-member Governing Board chaired by the President of the Press Union of Liberia. The management team is headed by an Executive Director assisted by a deputy and several program officers. Currently the Center is being managed by an Officer-In-Charge. LMC sources funding to support its projects and activities and offer professional and technical services to media, civil society, government and corporate institutions to include the UN, EU, World Bank, African Development Bank etc. It runs a staff of 15 persons.

 What We Do?

• Through a state-of-the-art computer resource facility, LMC provides daily access to working resources for Liberian journalists and media professionals;
• LMC conducts on average ten trainings every year in various programs designed to upgrade professional capacity of the media;
• LMC also works in collaboration with leading advocacy organizations in promoting the development of independent, free and pluralistic media in Liberia;
• Through partnerships with other organizations, LMC works to develop the capacity to civil society in fostering communication with the media, duty bearers and their constituency;
• LMC provides broader communication and media expert advisory services for NGOs, private firms, and government;
• LMC also offers a venue for training, research and capacity development in specialized communication disciplines to include advertising, marketing, media monitoring, content analysis and perception surveys;

Foreword

Following the first post-conflict media conference convened in Monrovia in 2004 under the auspices of the “Partnership for Media and Conflict Prevention in West Africa” and the Press Union of Liberia, there were a number of intervention areas suggested by the participants that required immediate attention. The need to reform existing repressive media laws and policies and the creation of a specialized media development outfit, that would work to create opportunities for the media sector to grow, thereby directly contributing to the Press Union of Liberia overarching stated goal of improving the professional capacity and standard of reporting of the media in Liberia, were the two main objectives coming from the conference.

The debilitating economic toll and human resource brain-drain that attended the Liberian civil conflict adversely affected the Liberian media and created a serious financial gap as well as an inadequate human resource base. So, the Liberia Media Center was formed, initially as a resource center housed at the PUL and later expanded into a full fledge media resource center.

Sixteen years on and the LMC is now a key institution, contributing significantly to advancing the media sector in Liberia.  It can be rightly credited for initiating new and exciting programs in Liberia all designed and intended to influence the broader national recovery and development efforts.

It remains increasingly engaged with our burgeoning community radio sector, developing and integrated new programs and cultivating new funding relationships to sustain existing programs.  At the urban front, more and more journalists are receiving trainings and capacity support from programs initiated through the LMC.

While training remains a crucial preoccupation of the Center, new initiatives seeking to create and strengthen linkages between civil society and duty bearers and the media indicate how useful media is in transforming society. The new focus on mobilizing media to promote national level accountability and transparency in governance and decision making has made LMC a very extractive brand and we are proud.

The  performance in previous  the  Elections speaks  volume and demonstrates  the wealth of capacity and dedication, the staff and management team continue to leverage in positioning the center as a true reference point for media innovation and development in West Africa.

At the level of the board, we will continue to remain engaged and ensure the Center is properly managed and performs its responsibility and obligations for which it was commissioned. It must be noted however, that all of these successes would not have been possible without the sacrifice of its dedicated staff.

The Center has on the other end rewarded its staff with solid opportunities abroad to develop their skills and competency.

Finally, we would be completely remiss without mentioning that the LMC performed so credibly well in 2020 due to the support it received from its international and local partners. It is our hope that these partnerships which accounts for our achievements during the period under review are further cemented, maintained and improved for future challenges in grappling with issues of transparency, accountability and governance.

Charles Coffey
Chairman, LMC Governing Board
President, Press Union of Liberia

 

 

A Note from the Officer-in Charge

The Challenges of Capacity Building to Enhance Democratization through Free Expression

 The 2017 presidential and general elections have come and gone a resounding success, but in its wake a whirlwind of critical issues ranging from security to national reconciliation remain. Of particular note is the alleged contention of fraud by contesting political parties and the debilitating security scenario following the December runoff elections which saw the Coalition for Democratic Change emerging victorious. In the vortex of these uproars, the media has taken sufficient bashing from the consuming public and the government as well.

In the aftermath of this situation, critical questions are being asked: Should the media now revert to self-censorship to survive in a seemingly most democratic era? Does freedom of speech and expression grant license to pocketbook, partisan journalism?

The post-electoral hullabaloo notwithstanding, 2017 was the most defining moment for Liberia because it did present an opportunity for smooth democratic transition.

And in doing it right, the media had a crucial role to play. With majority of the population depending on radio as their primary source of news, the media had the twin challenge of not only informing voters about the electoral process but shedding light on the platforms and candidature of the various parties and candidates.

In supporting media institutions meet this target, LMC designed a mechanism to monitor and evaluate media coverage of the elections in hopes that the results would ultimately affect the quality and focus of the coverage and provide the require statistics to inform changes in the various newsrooms.

Unfortunately, some outlets performed woefully and were clearly seen taking partisan roles. Political advertising revenues affected the independence and neutrality of coverage and in most cases allowed media houses to skew their coverage for and against rival parties. As the elections are now history, it is our profound hope the results would be used to inform future electoral processes and engender a sense of conflict sensitive responsibility in the coverage of political driven events.

The 2017 elections are over, but the job of community empowerment through issues-focused media coverage continues. At the Liberia Media Center we have been investing our energy in raising the necessary support to foster independent media coverage of post-electoral issues and we will continue to do so as a follow up mechanism in ensuring good governance, transparency and open society systems to the broader Liberian society. It is hoped that our international and local partners will continue supporting these interventions as they seek to ultimately contribute to sustaining peace and empowering people.

As we embark on a new enterprise and continue other unfinished interventions, it is important to reflect on our mandate as enshrined in the bill of rights of our constitution. This right to publish and use the press as a means of information delivery and public communication cannot be abused. Our rights guaranteed under the constitution to a free press and access to information is not a license for mercenary reporting. These provisions are the safeguard for fearless practice, robust reporting and impartial coverage of events, issues, personalities and the society at large. Nothing more and nothing less.

Going forward, it is hoped that members of the fourth estate will appreciate the new challenges and raise the level of our practice to a standard that would promote a vibrant, open society in post-electoral Liberia and beyond.

Victor A. Mayue

Officer-Charge

 

Sixteen Years On: LMC Then and Now
-Facing the Challenge of Institutional Sustainability

We have made some marks. Starting as an internet café during the busy season of Liberia’s first credible multi-party elections in 2005, the Liberia Media Center has witnessed and been an active player in the development drive of the Country. Truth being told, we have endured a remarkable journey in sixteen years down the road. Staffed with two personnel, and resourced with a handful of computers having secured internet service for six months, a six-month tight running budget was not the ideal way to start a new organization. This was however the most serious of investments in an enterprise that had failed on previous occasions. The move also indicated an unwavering testament of faith in the leadership of the Press Union of Liberia to provide the beachhead in sustaining this effort initiated by the Partnership for Media and Conflict Prevention in West Africa.

But after six months into the project, hopes began to fade, as funding nearly vaporized.  With basically no experience in fundraising activities and project design, LMC began to struggle. The desire to thrive under these difficult conditions however proved a defining moment.

As 2005 was closing down, the prospect of sustainability started to appear bright with two remarkable new interventions. One was a function of the continuous trust and confidence the Partnership reposed in the value of their initial investment and the imperative of keeping the dream afloat even during those very turbulent times. A small but critical support through UNESCO provided the lifeline, taking the project beyond 2005 into a promising 2006.

The UNESCO support which actually set the basis for survival was immediately followed by another project funding. This second project which was actually the first locally acquired funding and the single largest local funding since 2005, came through a competitive bidding process courtesy of the Environmental Law Institute and the Forestry Reform Monitoring Committee. The project aimed at generating public awareness around the New Forestry Law and sets of 10 core regulations.

This funding in the tune of 46,000.00 USD saw a symptom of belief in our collective capacity and reenergized the management team of the Center. Jointly secured by the Press Union of Liberia and the LMC, the support allowed for the recruitment of more staff and brought stability desperately needed for confidence building, continuity and sustainability.

This second project opened the floodgate for a long-term strategy of proactive engagement. From 2006, LMC began to look far and wide and initiated series of proactive steps starting with an engagement with the Radio Netherlands Training Center (RNTC) in 2006 when the RNTC team had completed its scouting of a local partner for a three year project. Actively participating in several international media development tendering, ranging from IPDC, GTF, World Bank, Europe Aid, etc, the LMC has been successfully raising more money abroad than at home.

To date, the Center has increased its donor base to over 25 unique funded projects and 12 unique funders since 2005 and has carried out short term professional consultancies for over 20 organizations since its inception.

Sixteen years is not a good measure of institutional sustainability, but it is assuring that LMC has made considerable gains in a relatively short time, and will need the support of all partners, funders, beneficiaries and stakeholders to continue impacting the media landscape in Liberia and abroad.

 

SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES (2020)

Multi-stakeholders Forest Governance Project (MFGAP)

Enhancing the COVID-19 Fight through Media Engagement and Community Outreach

The Liberia Media Center (LMC) is grateful to the Free Press Unlimited (FPU) for supporting the LMC in the implementation of its project: Enhancing the COVID-19 Fight through Media Engagement and Community Outreach. Under its Project titled, COVID Response in Africa – Together with Reliable Information” funded by the European Union, Free Press Unlimited supported the LMC’s anti-COVID-19 project and enabled us to successful implement the said project. The Project started in February at a time Liberians apparently forgotten that the deadly Corona Virus was still in the Country, when people have forgotten to use masks in public gatherings and offices and to adhere to other health protocols instituted by the government and partners.  Students were going to school and having classes without face masks, some schools and homes had forgotten to place buckets/containers of clean water with soap at the entrances of their residences and institutions as instructed by health authorities in the Country, video clubs/movie centers and other entertainment centers neglected the use of the preventive measures announced and new cases were subsequently being reported. New updates were announced, confirmed cases of the country jumped from 1,595 to 2,014 with the number of recoveries increasing from 1,343 to 1,884 and with the death figures rising from 83 to 85 –as the Liberian COVID-19 Barometer registered by February 22-28 eight new cases.

Although there were challenges despite the success of the project, a vigorous approach during the project implementation and the awareness campaigns reminded the people of the health protocols and the re-emergence of the virus which was thought to have left the country. The trend of social behavior in schools and public places in the targeted counties have changed. School authorities have begun to enforce mask wearing and handwashing policies in schools, and the reappearance of clean water buckets/containers on porches and entrances of homes and public facilities are being seen. The LMC’s project impacted and continue to have impact on local communities, schools and entertainment centers, and rekindled the drive amongst  the people to return to adherence to the health protocols that were being seemingly neglected. However, the inaccessibility of some key areas due to bad roads, and the lack of cooperation from community dwellers, especially people who are still in denial of the presence of the virus in their localities were challenges experienced. However, our challenges include the inability of the LMC to reach out to other communities conceived communities and other audiences targeted due to a narrow funding window.

Activities implemented

As part of the implementation of the project, “Enhancing the Fight against COVID-19 through Media Engagement and Community Outreach, the Liberian Media Center developed IEC materials; produced jingles and spot messages, conducted public sensitization, community and media engagements and outreach with targeted audiences in the five counties, namely Lofa, Nimba, Margibi, Grand Bassa and Montserrado counties and conducted radio call-in talk shows.

In our methodology in rolling out the project, the LMC used Public Address system as an approach for public awareness. The teams mounted Public Address systems on vehicles in accessible arears in the targeted counties, and used the PA systems to discuss the health protocols, to sensitize the residents of the danger of the Corona Virus and its mode of transmission, preventive measures and proactive mechanisms to ensure that one case does not contaminate an entire community.

LMC also distributed IEC materials to and visited public facilities and places such as markets, schools and health centers where the need for hand wash with clean water and soap or the use of hand sanitizers, social distancing and the use of masks were underscored to students, faculty and janitorial staff members. The LMC’s campaign also visited intellectual discussion centers (haitai or tea shops) where the outbreak was discussed, approaches being used to counter fight the pandemic was highlighted, and the roles of civil societies and government, as well as politicians became the issues discussed. Haitai centers are popular meeting places of scores of people on a daily basis to discuss politics, sports and social issues. The Project also reached out to motorcyclists and tri-cyclists (the major modes of transportation in the country) and their unions as well as health workers and community radio stations and rural journalists and distributed posters and stickers. Some community radio station reporters were incorporated in the campaign and taken on field (reporting) trips.

Besides, team leaders along with local health practitioners in targeted counties were hosted on community radio call-in talk shows on their channels and were given airtime to interact with the people.

They explained the goal and objectives of the project, the need to be compliant with the established national health protocols and reason for everyone to be involved in the fight against the COVID-19 Virus.  Besides posters bearing approved messages pertaining to the fight against COVID-19 where posted on public buildings and light poles in various communities while bumper stickers bearing anti-COVID-19 messages were distributed amongst motorcyclists, tri-cyclists  and other motorists – public and privately used vehicles to enhance the fight against the deadly COVID-19 virus.

The LMC also produced and sponsored dramas and jingles in the English language and other Vernaculars amongst radio stations for broadcast, which were subsequently aired and therefore succeeding in spreading the information and campaign electronically amongst the populace.

Results/Impact
As the result of the intensive public awareness conducted through outreach, using the Public Address system and broadcast interventions, public knowledge has increased on the continuing danger of COVID-19 with approximately 5, 000 market women reached in each county, 10 schools visited and community residents with an array of radio audiences that monitored phone-in talk-shows of  community radio stations partnered with through the implementation of the project;

The rigorous awareness activities also broke the chain of transmission of the virus and thereby reduced further discoveries of new cases for now. The approach was media engagement and communities outreach in the five targeted counties

Community champions (students and community members) on COVID-19 awareness Created in local schools in targeted communities. And most schools are enforcing handwashing, social distancing and nose mask wearing as a requirement to admit students on campus.

Relationship with State authorities

The Liberia Media Center built synergies with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) the statutory institutions responsible to manage the health crisis in the country in ensuring that the approved messages for the Liberian public were acquired and used for the outreach activities during the project implementation. This synergy enabled the LMC to ensure that the messages used during the LMC’s outreach were aligned with the national health messages crafted by the NPHIL, the MOH and WHO-Liberia in keeping with public health policy. The LMC also worked with public school authorities to access public schools (including elementary, junior high and senior high schools), which culminated to the formation of anti-COVID-19 school clubs in the schools visited. The responsibility of the clubs is primarily to advocated for enforcement of the national health messages passed onto them by the LMC’s outreach teams and execute any such school-based programs that will serve as reminder to students’ adherence to the public health regulations. Authorities of various markets of the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA) were also involved to allow access to marketplaces in the five targeted counties. Lastly, the LMC worked with community radio organizations to do its media engagement which afforded the airing of jingles and dramas in five different vernaculars including Lorma, Gio, Mano, Bassa, Kpelle and Mandingo.

Building these synergies was important to achieving the projects overall objectives in terms of programing aspect of its implementation.

Synergies with other COVID-19 related projects

The LMC had synergized with the Multi-Stakeholders for Forest Governance and Accountability Program (MFGAP) with support from the Foreign Commonwealth Development (FCDO) Office DFID in supporting the COVID-19 Risk Management Team of the NPHIL and the MOH. Under the Project, “Supporting the Government’s Fight Against COVID-19,“ the synergy by the LMC had the objective of giving media support in creating more awareness  through the hosting of talk shows on local radio stations, the airing of jingles and drama, and taking journalists on field reporting trips to development stories on public perception,  adherence to health regulations, the perspective of health practitioners, public opinions on the application of the government’s policy in fighting the spread of COVID-19 in Liberia. The projected impacted forest communities and rural areas that was mainly focused.

Gender equality, safety & Human rights

The Project, Enhancing the COVID-19 Fight through Media Engagement and Community Outreach was keen at gender mainstreaming and gender equality in the delivery of project activities. The outreach took into consideration reaching out to market women and make inclusive school girls during its outreach.  The LMC also took on the radio, three female health practitioners and two of their male counterparts in the five respective targeted counties to discuss the intervention, the health regulations and public reactions. They also discussed the 2014 Ebola intervention of Government in relation to the intervention against 2020 COVID-19 outbreak in the country. This is in addition to the cross-section of females and males alike that were reached during delivery of the project activities. Internally, the outreach teams of the LMC comprised four females and four males. Both genders were paired and sent out to do the outreach activities. Meanwhile, radio discussions on the outbreak of the virus and interventions and how they affect the rights of people, especially when it comes to stigmatization, cross-cutting issues relating to HIV/AIDS, the respect for human rights and dignity, amongst other issues were highlighted.

1. Media Quality Barometer Project

The Liberian media has always been plagued by problems relating to professionalism, ethics and standards. The advent of the 2011 elections especially necessitated the need for media monitoring so as to enhance quality performance and professional coverage by the media. It is in this regard that the Media Quality Barometer (MQB) methodology was launched through a partnership funding from Trust Africa in July 2010 to evaluate stories and editorials of nine leading newspapers and similarly news stories and programs

on five major radio stations. The MQB analysis focused on six performance indicators: grammar and structure, diversity, newsworthiness, context, general layout and general presentation.

At the end of its first phase, July 2010 to April, 2011, the Center published four periodic assessment reports on the state of media quality in Liberia, in an unprecedented way through reliable and current data on the issues and areas requiring attention. The report also provided a comprehensive outlook on the health and state of 14 leading media institutions in the country, outlining media improvements as a result of its evaluation of stories and editorial contents.

The MQB, through its ranking system drew much respect and credibility from national and international actors. The report generated sufficient discussion points amongst media, government, civil society and ordinary people. These discussions further informed the structuring of the MQB code frame and added value to the monitoring process when the project resumes.

 

A major boost that gave national professional recognition to the Liberia Media Center for implementing the innovative MQB was the request by the Press Union of Liberia for the MQB Consultant to serve as a member of the PUL National Awards Committee 2011 and to use the MQB rankings to determine award winners.

 

Since the MQB releases, a number of organizations have approached the LMC to design and operationalize a tracking system for their media interventions. The Canadian-based Journalists for Human Rights contracted the LMC to begin tracking “rights media”. Similarly, the International Research Exchange (IREX) through the LMC is implementing a content analysis program of eight media institutions in Liberia.

1. Good Governance through Strengthened Media Project

 The media as an instrument of change has a vital role to play in the democratization process of any society by creating the necessary communication platform for citizens’ participation in governance. The Good Governance through Strengthened Media project is created to increase awareness on human rights and governance in Liberia through a comprehensive training of journalists through long-term engagement and on-the-job mentorship. Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and the Liberia Media Centre (LMC) have been working on this initiative since 2006.

Outcome of LMC/jhr interventions

• Jhr trainers have worked with more than 60 different media outlets in Liberia, including rural radio stations and have trained university students reading mass communications.
• Produced over 400 documents of rights media
• Facilitated establishment on the Human Rights’ Reporters Network
• Witnessed the country’s standing on the Media Sustainability Index increase from 1.91 in 2008 (prior to the start of the program) to 2.21 today.
• Contributed to the passing of the Freedom of Information Act
• Participated in the 16 days activism against Gender Based Violence with FEJAL
• Quarterly Editors and Owners’ forums are held bringing together editors and senior managers of media houses around Monrovia to discuss topical issues affecting the media sector as a whole.

Impact Stories from JHR Training

One-on-one mentoring has yielded astounding results for individual journalists. Consider Winston Daryoue, who works at the Liberia Women Democracy Radio (LWDR). Following a period of jhr mentorship, Daryoue produced a documentary on the Firestone Rubber Plantation. That documentary was given airtime on his radio, then rebroadcast by both the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Radio and the BBC World Service. Daryoue submitted this documentary for the International Committee of the Red Cross Young Reporters Competition of the Year Award.  He was among eight winners chosen out of more than 500 applicants from all over the world and invited to Geneva to receive the award.

1. Citizens’ Voices and Accountability Project

With the aim of increasing accountability of state and local structures/actors around national policies and governance, the LMC in 2010 partnered with Trocaire to implement its landmark Citizens’ Voices and Accountability project (under the Trocaire “Strengthening Citizens’ Engagement with County Governance Structures in Liberia” pilot) in four counties targeting 200 civil society organizations, journalists and community based organizations, through the provision of training, sourcing of news content, partnership with community radio and engagement with civil society.

The project focused primarily on: 1) providing visibility to civil society interventions in the four target counties and at the national level; 2) improving the quality of civil society media and communication engagements; 3) improving media coverage of transparency, governance and community development issues arising from the project area, and 4) establishing a structured and formal partnership between civil society, communities and the media.

 Schools Without Budget

A direct outcome of the Citizens’ Voice and Accountability intervention is captured through the reports of The Heritage newspaper reporter Emmanuel Weedee who, following the LMC training, was dispatched to Bong, Grand Bassa and Nimba Counties to give citizens space to air their problems. Through Mr. Weedee’s coverage in those areas, it was discovered that, although budgetary allotments were appropriated for “operational grants”, schools were not receiving them, thereby hindering Government’s compulsory primary educational program. Immediately following series of publications on this issue, the Ministry of Education convened a policy forum to extend the Free and Compulsory Primary Education to junior high level. The Ministry also acknowledged the lack of operational grants in the counties but blamed such on unscrupulous county education officials who most often diverted these funds into personal use.

Partners
Between May-July 2010, the “Citizens’ Voice and Accountability” project launched its first media tracking report. The report showed how marginalized the citizens of the four targeted counties are in the national media on human rights issues, popular participation, social delivery through education, and natural resources. The period also witnessed three workshops; CSO/CBO and Media Interface, a CSO and Media engagement workshop, and governance development workshop. Community radio partners include Radio Nimba (Sanniquelle), Radio Kergheamahn (Ganta), Radio Life (Zorzor), Radio Kintoma (Voinjama), Radio Gbezohn (Buchanan), Magic FM (Buchanan, Radio Gbarnga (Gbarnga) and Super Bongese (Gbarnga); while Civil Society Organizations partners include Development Education Network (DEN-L), Foundation of Human Rights and Democracy (FOHRD), Save My Future Foundation (SAMFU), Action for Genuine Democratic Alternatives (AGENDA), Justice and Peace Commission (JPC), Sustainable Development Institution (SDI), Liberia Democratic Institution (LDI),Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) and the Village Development Foundation (VDF).

1. Strengthened Media for Transparent Elections Project

With support from USAID, the “Strengthened Media for Transparent Elections” project was launched in July 2011 in partnership with IREX, against the backdrop of the difficult challenges that the Liberian media faced in providing balanced coverage of the elections along the lines of professionalism, ethics and standards.

This project sought to initiate new directions for the Liberian media in the reportage and coverage of the political and electoral processes that accord higher priority to electoral accountability, issues-focused campaigns, application of ethical principles and the timely release of results through the use of SMS technology.

On Time Results for Transparent Elections

“On Time Results” is a computer based application (software) developed locally by LMC in partnership with MWETANA, a local Liberian computer firm to process and aggregate precinct level results to national level aggregation. Powered by over 300 local journalists trained by the LMC, including  LMC  staff and five consultants, under its “Strengthened Media for Transparent Elections” project, the systems received SMS via a short-code (1011) through a customized SMS gateway and automatically generated district, county and national level data released as csv files. Through pre-defined protocols, these files were automatically uploaded to a website (http://liberiamediacenter.smagmedia.com.lr/lmc/RunOff) where the contents were viewed. The site was integrated with Facebook and Tweeter, allowing a wider audience to access the site at home and the Diaspora using these social network platforms. Results were also accessed through a two-way SMS automated response system that allowed community radio stations in the 15 Counties to announce the unofficial early results from the more than 50 mobile phones provided by the LMC. Calls from these phones were free of charge through a Call User Group (CUG) system initiated by the LMC, allowing journalists in the various counties to call media institutions free of charge with the elections results.

Given the unprecedented success of this initiative, LMC has begun reengineering the platform to support its Budget Transparency Project (Because Accountability Matters). Through an automated two-way SMS response system built around this platform, ordinary people at the district and county level can access their local budgets through the use of SMS. By sending pre-defined SMS to a designated short code, ordinary people will know their development allocation in the budget and demand on-time delivery and accountability from their duty bearers. The Budget Transparency project to be funded by OSIWA, IREX and UNDP is expected to provide an unprecedented flow of information on the budget formulation and implementation process, a principal cause of conflict in Liberia.

1. LEITI – Bridging the Communication Divide

The Liberian government made Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative implementation an integral part of its National Anti-Corruption Strategy and a key cornerstone component of its Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), when it established the Liberia EITI in May 2007, becoming the 14^th African country to officially join the international EIT. Since then, LEITI has focused on promoting access to information,

citizens’ engagement and participation around the EITI process in Liberia with the overarching objective of promoting increased accountability and transparency amongst LEITI stakeholders involved with disclosure and compliance issues regarding the extractive industry.

Since endorsing the EITI 2007, Liberia gained international acclaim as one of the best performing EITI compliant countries. Like most of the EITI countries, the Liberia Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (LEITI) is directed by a Multi-stakeholder Steering Group comprising representatives of the Government of Liberia (GOL), led by the Ministry of Finance; civil society representatives, representatives of the private sector to include companies operating in the oil, mining and forestry sectors[1]; and representatives of multilateral institutions including the World Bank, African Development Bank, IMF, DFID, and the US Government. The steering committee is charged with making policy relating to and guiding the implementation of the LEITI.

Despite these achievements, many Liberians, especially those in the rural areas, in whose interests the LEITI programs are tailored to benefit, express doubt as to its effectiveness. To gauge the level of progress made by LEITI in translating the implementation of its programs to citizens, LEITI seconded the LMC in 2010 to firstly undertake a study and develop a communication strategy that would support the Secretariat in reaching out with its message to the people.

Conclusions and recommendations drawn from the study have been submitted to the LEITI in a well-documented Report which when implemented will increase awareness and knowledge level of the LEITI process across various groups of beneficiaries.

1. Cross-cutting Security Issues – LMC/SFCG Role in Lofa Debacle

The absence of community radio stations in Zorzor and in Voinjama was found to be a major reason for the generation of troubles between the Mandingo Muslims and the Lorma Christians in a fracas that emanated from the death of a school girl in a Lofa town referred to as Konia in 2010, according to findings of a joint investigation of a conflict here in referred to as ‘Lofa Debacle” by the Liberia Media Center (LMC) and the Search for Common Ground (SFCG).

In the immediate aftermath of the February, 2010 “Lofa Crisis” which left several dead and properties damaged, the Liberia Media Center (LMC) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) undertook a joint field mission to ascertain the cause(s) of the violence, to know the role media and communication played in the conflict and thereafter made recommendations.

The various accounts of the Voinjama/Konia/Zorzor situation are all in agreement that the root cause of the problem was the disappearance and subsequent death of a female student of the Zorzor Lutheran High School who was visiting her family in Konia in a nearby town to Zorzor. Rumor mongering and lack of information however blew the problem out of proportion.

As a part of the LMC/SFCG investigation, residents, local leaders and people from civil society in Konia, Zorzor and Voinjama that were interviewed said they knew about the conflict either by word of mouth, or via a telephone call. No one received information about the violence from a community radio broadcast. The vast majority of those surveyed also believed that the information concerning the problem in Konia was relayed to Voinjama and Zorzor via a mobile phone call.

This finding points to the huge implications regarding the impact the use of cell phones can have on the rumor mill and the wider implications for post war peace building efforts in Lofa County and other potential hotbeds in the country.  On what the respondents attributed the nature of the conflict to, (42%) viewed it as ethnic; (25%) considered it religious. Sixteen respondents, representing 33% believe the conflict was neither religious nor ethnic. It is clear from this that people in the conflict area themselves are not sure what the nature of the conflict is.

Regarding whether the conflict could have been averted, (50%) of the respondents believed that the prompt availability of information from the broadcast medium could have drastically reduced the likelihood of violence. Others, constituting 31% think that the problem could have been averted by the intervention of the government, while 19% believes that elders’ intervention could have stopped the situation from becoming violent. These varying responses point to the fact that people in the area recognize the influence of various institutions particularly radio, amongst others.

In view of the findings of this rapid assessment,  several recommendations were submitted to the government for consideration, including the development of a conflict sensitive monitoring framework to regularly assess the operations of the media, particularly community radio. The Search for Common Ground and Liberia Media Center are developing the implementation framework for such intervention.

1. Opportunities – Empowering our Own

Staff empowerment being one of the core values at the Liberia Media Center, our personnel continue to enjoy unbridled access to self-actualization training programs, seminars, workshops and travels that enhance the human resource capacities of Liberia’s premier media empowerment institution.

Among the LMC staff that have benefited from such opportunities during the period under review are:

LMC Program Director Lamii Kpargoi who recently returned from the United States (above right).

Mrs. Priscilla Quiah, a senior trainer at the LMC, also in October 2011 attended a three weeks Advanced International Training Program on Human Rights, Peace and Security in Stockholm, Sweden.

The training, part of management Capacity Building effort for its staff, focused on societies in transition from armed conflict to peace, and the designing of strategies to confront legacies of human rights abuse to ensure human security, accountability, state-citizen relationships, and the creation of democratic institutions. The training was implemented by Indevelop in collaboration with the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University and the Swedish NGO Foundation for Human Rights, with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

The final phase of the training is slated for 19-30 March 2012 in Cambodia.

Other staff that benefited from training programs under the auspices of the Liberia Media Center includes Executive Director T. Lawrence Randall who underwent managerial training at Penn State University in the United States in 2010. Also, Mr. Jeppelle Page, LMC Head of Finance, took financial management training at Benchmark Financial Training Center in Ghana in 2010, while Mr. Oliver Toe and Ms. Virginia Bornor of the Financial Department participated in financial management training at the Liberia Institute for Public Administration (LIPA) in 2011. The trainings focused on internal control systems. LMC studio technician Marcus Shamu also underwent training in Ghana and the United States in 2011.

III. OUR FUNDERS AND PARTNERS AT A GLANCE

AFRICAN ELECTIONS PROJECT

The African Elections Project (AEP) was established 2008 with the vision of enhancing the ability of journalists, citizen journalists and the news media to provide more timely and relevant elections information and knowledge while undertaking monitoring of specific and important aspects of governance. AEP partnered with the LMC to train journalists in preparation for the 2011 presidential and legislative elections.

INTE RNATIONAL MEDIA SUPPORT (IMS)

International Media Support (IMS) is a non-profit organization working to support local media in countries affected by armed conflict, human insecurity and political transition. In more than 50 countries worldwide, IMS helps to strengthen professional journalism and ensure that media can operate in challenging circumstances. IMS collaborated with the LMC to train journalists for the 2011 elections.

JHR (Journalists for Human Rights) is Canada’s leading media development organization. Our goal – to make everyone in the world fully aware of their rights – is as unique as it is powerful.

Since JHR’s founding in 2002 the organization has worked tirelessly to strengthen independent media in sub-Saharan Africa by building the capacity of local journalists to report ethically and effectively on human rights and good governance issues. JHR’s work ensures the media can play its rightful role as a referee between state and civil society.

OPEN SOCIETY IN WEST AFRICA (OSIWA)

OSIWA, dedicated to the creation of open societies in West Africa through the promotion of inclusive governance, transparent and accountable institutions and active citizenship in West Africa, partnered with LMC in implementing ….

THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXCHANGE (IREX)

IREX, in its drive to empower local individuals and institutions to build key elements of a vibrant society through provision of technology for the development of quality education, independent media and strong communities, partnered with the LMC in its Strengthened Media for Transparent Elections Project between 2010-2011.

UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVEOPMENT (USAID)

The United States Government, with its long history of extending a helping hand to people overseas struggling to make a better life has provided much needed funding towards the implementation of the Strengthened Media for Transparent Elections Project, which involved training of media personnel, media monitoring, provision of equipment to media institutions and the effective delivery of on-time elections results of Liberians during the 2011 presidential and legislative elections.

UNESCO
UNESCO, working to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values, continues to be a much valuable funder of key LMC projects including the Strengthened Media for Transparent Elections project.

TORCAIRE
Trócaire’s vision of empowering marginalised Liberians know and can claim their rights in an environment of accountability and transparency, has led to the implementation of the Citizens Voices and Accountability project under its Strengthening Citizens’ Engagement with County Governance Structures program. The program provides support to nine Civil Society Organization (CSO) partners in Bong, Nimba, Lofa and Grand Bassa Counties through projects ranging from providing information to communities, facilitating community access to duty bearers and stakeholders, empowering communities to take actions and enhancing media visibility on community issues and the work of civil society partners.

TRUSTAFRICA
Working towards strengthening African initiatives that address the most difficult challenges confronting the continent, as it relates to securing the conditions for democracy; fostering African enterprise and achieving broadly shared prosperity; and cultivating African resources for democracy and development, TrustAfrica continues to support the LMC’s drive to promote media quality through effective monitoring programs such as the landmark Media Quality Barometer project.

Free Press Unlimited
Working with media empowerment institutions such as the LMC in 40 countries, Free Press Unlimited ensures that reliable news and information are and remain available to people across the globe by supporting local media professionals and journalists to enable as many people as possible to gain and keep access to the information they require to survive and develop. Through our partnership with Free Press Unlimited, the LMC continues to provide training for Liberian journalists.

1. ANNEX

Liberia Media Center
Balance Sheet
For the month ended December 31, 2010
Assets
Current Assets
Cash in bank (LBDI-0240815113001)					–
Cash in Bank (ECOBANK-14310000682014)					(44)
Cash in Bank (UBA-53010030000712)					22,434
Total Current Assets						$       22,390.00
Fixed Assets
Office Machine & Equipment (Net)					37,357
Office Furniture & Fixture Net)					2,350
Studio Equipment(Net)					14,575
Guest House Furniture & Fixture (Net)					3,312
Mobile Equipment (Net)					10,240
Motor Vehicle (Net)					59,800
Total Fixed Assets						$     127,634.00
Total Assets						$     150,024.00
Liabilities					0
Total Liabilities						-44
Capital
General Capital					116,872
Fund balance					33,196.50
Total Capital						$     150,068.00
Total Liabilities and capital						$     150,024.00