JOURNALISTS ARE Controversial PEOPLE
Sam Metzger once told us to be controversial. He said that the most successful journalists are the controversial ones . He had been controversial through life .
He was very controversial when he worked as Editor in Nigeria. He was very controversial when he served as Editor of the SLPP newspaper, UNITY in the 1960s.
He was moderate with THE NATION newspaper, which he published after the 1967 coup. He became more controversial when he became Editor of the APC newspaper, WE YONE after Pa Shaki courted him and convinced him to join the APC.
I found this true in Liberia. The most celebrated journalist was the late Rufus Dapoh of the NEW LIBERIAN and the DAILY OBSERVER (He was the Liberian version of our Sam Metzger ) . I was introduced to him by Lamini Waritay . His views were very radical. He held the view that a journalist is always controversial and a non-conformist, whether supporting a party or not. Those you do not support will always regard you as a controversial figure.
The other celebrated Liberian journalist , the late Tom Kamara was also a non- conformist and thrived on controversy.
In Nigeria too, I found out that Tai Solerin was very controversial.
What I however learnt from all these men of the pen is that to be respected a journalist must be consistent . It does not matter whom you support. All journalists are politicians too. They support political parties but whoever you support , be consistent. If you are pro- Republican, be consistent with your conservative views. If you are pro- Democrat, be as liberal as liberal can be, in your views.
What I learnt from these men is that what kills a journalist fast is FLIP-FLOPPING. If you are a watermelon journalist, people will find out and not reckon you much. They know you move with the wind. When it is unfavorable on one side, you will switch to another side. People will regard you as a man without principles. You flip-flop, so they cannot trust your views because they know that you will change them soon when you fail to get what you want.
SLPP supporters do not like me, but I can tell you that they are the first to log in to Cocorioko every morning and they constitute the majority of our readers. I subscribe for more opposition papers in Sierra Leone than the pro- APC papers. I want to always read what they write. SLPP supporters know that I do not compromise my views.
So, when you decide to be APC or SLPP, stick to your choice, rain or shine. People on the other side will not agree with your views and they will lambast you , and that will make you controversial , but stick to your beliefs. If the APC or SLPP are doing well, say it. Sam Metzger never flip-flopped between the APC and the SLPP. When he was with the SLPP, he was loyal. When he switched over, he remained loyal to the APC until he died.
OBJECTIVITY in Journalism is rare. Even in America and Britain, newspapers are not very objective. Even recorded history is not objective. It depends on who wrote it. This is the first thing your History teacher will tell you in college.
People are human beings. They will take sides. Human beings are subjective, by nature.
But whatever line you take, just do not flip-flop. At the end of the day, you will earn more plaudits because you stuck to your beliefs. Today, even SLPP officials are praising Sam Metzger because he was courageous and stood by what he believed.
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Emeric Roy-coker, Tiah Knox and 9 others
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