MONROVIA – Former Information Minister Legerhood Julius Rennie has publicly endorsed Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe’s recent criticism of “mercenary journalism” in Liberia, while simultaneously chiding the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) for its silence on the allegation.
Rennie’s statement, released on social media, comes more than 48 hours after a video montage by the “venerable” Cllr. Gongloe, a renowned human rights lawyer, went viral. In the video, Gongloe bemoaned the practice of unethical, paid-for reporting by “some” Liberian journalists.
The former minister began by praising Gongloe’s credibility and moral authority to level such a critique. “I bear witness to Cllr. Gongloe’s litany of defense of not just journalists, but freedom of expression,” Rennie stated, offering his “utmost salute” to the lawyer for having “suffered personally for his advocacy.”
The core of Rennie’s message, however, was a pointed challenge to the nation’s primary journalistic body. He expressed disappointment that neither the PUL nor its affiliates had issued a public response to what he called a “very grave matter.”
“I was of the opinion that either the Press Union of Liberia or affiliates of the PUL would have had a public say about the issue raised,” Rennie wrote. “However… as of the writing of this post, neither the PuL nor its affiliates have said anything publicly.”
Rennie bolstered his argument by revealing that his own informal polling of “well-known journos” found majority agreement with Gongloe’s alarm. He noted a concerning contradiction: while journalists admit to the practice “behind the scenes,” there is a “tacit coy not to come public and condemn it.”
This silence, he argued, betrays the public trust. “If we hold the public trust as society’s gatekeepers, then we must come clean when we too fall afoul of such trust. It is only but the responsible and honorable thing to do,” he asserted.
Concluding his statement, the former minister implored the PUL to investigate the issue proactively, stressing that the Union “must not wait for formal complaints.”
“Lest we remind ourselves that with rights and freedom, come responsibilities of equal measure,” Rennie concluded. “Therefore, it behooves the PUL to play a robust proactive role as the referee in ensuring adherence to high ethical standards of journalism.”
The Press Union of Liberia has not yet issued an official comment on either Gongloe’s original video or Rennie’s subsequent call to action.
