MONROVIA, January 9 (LINA) –Information Minister Lewis Brown has re-affirmed government’s support for continued open partnership with all media practitioners across the country.
“We are fully committed to the media and intend to ensure everyone wins in a more professional and ethical manner with no plans to sanction any media house,” he said.
Minister Brown made the commitment Friday at the Information Ministry daily Ebola briefing, during which he clarified among other issues, media registration with the ministry.
According to him, the intent of registering and processing all advertisements, arrangement of special media coverages, press conferences through MICAT is to proactively address the issue of ethical transgression on the part of some media practitioners and government entities.
At the same time, Minister Brown has reiterated calls to media houses to add more value to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in October 2014 between the Press Union of Liberia and the ministry by renewing their licenses on or before January 30.
He indicated that unless the entity, print or broadcast licenses are renewed by the Information Ministry, these media houses stand the risk of either losing their frequencies or publications in the country, adding that they will not get tax clearances from the Finance Ministry or business renewal from the Commerce Ministry.
Under the MOU which has brought some mixed feelings among Liberian journalists, the PUL is to register journalists, while the ministry registers media houses.
LINA