Government Says It Is Settling Debts Owed to Liberian Media Houses
The Capitol Building in Monrovia, seat of Liberia's government (file photo, illustrative). Photo: David Stanley, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah says the government has begun paying legitimate debts owed to media institutions through the Finance Ministry, as publishers describe newspapers and radio stations struggling to cover daily operations.
Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah told the second Annual Presidential Media Dinner on September 12 that the government has begun settling legitimate debts owed to Liberian media institutions, with payments processed through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. "The government remains committed to meeting its obligations to the media all of the time, and it will not hesitate in doing so," Piah said.
Piah did not disclose the total amount owed, how much has been paid to date, or how many media institutions have received funds, leaving publishers without a clear timeline for when outstanding invoices might be cleared. Publishers Association of Liberia President Alphonso Tweh used the same dinner to highlight the financial strain on newspapers and radio stations, many of which he said are operating with limited resources for day-to-day coverage.
Piah paired the debt announcement with a fresh commitment to editorial independence, telling the gathering that "no journalist will be censored" and "no media institution will be arbitrarily shut down for its editorial stance," language that echoes President Boakai's own press-freedom pledge at the same event. He also cautioned journalists to verify information before publishing, citing the spread of unverified claims on online platforms.
The debt-settlement pledge lands the same way past government commitments to media houses have landed before: welcomed in principle, but without hard numbers, it will take actual payments landing in newsrooms' accounts, rather than dinner remarks, to convince publishers the obligations are truly being cleared.