By: Alusine Rehme Wilson
New Chairman of the Independent Media Commission-(IMC) Dr. Victor Massaqoi has emphatically said that: “The IMC is not a Political Tool.”
Dr. Massaquoi adds that, “This is a new IMC. Although there are some old board members in the current IMC, there are also a couple of new ones including myself, and all of us are currently on the verge to rebrand the IMC.
“I want to be very clear about the reality that the IMC is not a political tool, because the first word of the commission’s name is Independence. Yes! It’s the general believe that it’s rare for a 100% independence to be maintained by institutions or individuals but our independence at the IMC is way above 96,96 to 97 percent,” he affirmed.
The IMC Boss also highlights the commission four primary roles which he says are: “to regulate, monitor, provide technical development and to protect what is being said or written in the media.
“As a commission, regulating the media doesn’t mean shutting down a media house except when it’s deemed necessary and inline with the provisions in the IMC law. Similarly, our monitoring role has to do with ensuring that all registered media institutions and their practitioners.
“Protection on the other hand cuts across protecting only journalists to practice professionally but as well as other members of the public.
“Providing technical support boarders around catering for and organizing capacity building trainings for members of the media which is why we’re on the move to train station managers and representatives of political parties nationwide, at the same time dialogue with them to add their ideas to the draft for document we’re working on that will guide the coverage of elections in the country including the upcoming parliamentary and national elections.
“It’s our believe as commission that journalists and all media practitioners continue to practice professionally and beautifully as possible as we hope for a perfect coverage of the general elections in the next 12 months plus successive ones.”
Dr. Massaquoi concludes by making firm commitments to station managers, editors and generally other key movers of the media in Sierra Leone, to work with them in his tenure in order to ensure that the media in Sierra Leone and the manner of practices of journalists matches with globally accepted norms.
“My humbler request to media owners, managers, editors and other media practitioners is for them to continue to comply with us at the IMC and the commission’s stated rules inorder for them not to be in conflict with the law.”
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