When it comes to the media in Liberia, he or she who owns a printing press shall dominate the market. There are only a handful of media-owned printing presses in the country. The rest of the newspapers are printed through commercial printing presses that charge a relative fortune, making it next to impossible for a [...]

Smile FM. The once-charming name for a community radio station in southeastern Liberia is now, at best, ironic. At worst, it’s a mocking reminder of how tarnished this symbol of grassroots media and freedom of expression has become. Today, reporters at Smile FM in Zwedru, speaking only with anonymity, admit: “We work in fear.” Smile [...]

It is strongly believed, among many of the media houses in Liberia, that human rights stories, and human “interest” stories in particular, are not “big” stories. That title, instead, is typically reserved for journalism covering political scandals, economic crimes, or ongoing developments in already well-followed and high profile cases (such as the Charles Taylor trial). [...]