SIERRA LEONEANS awoke this morning to a shocker and unbelievable news that one of the country’s most iconic journalists–PHILIP NEVILLE, Publisher of the Standard Times newspaper and owner of Star Radio and TV–had passed away.
According to information received by COCORIOKO, Mr. Neville was watching a masquerade parade near his house at Kossoh Town, near Freetown, on Boxing Day, Monday December 26, when a commercial motorbike , locally known as Okada, smashed into him on the sidewalk. The biker fled the scene and Mr. Neville , who suffered extensive head trauma and bleeding was rushed to the Choitram Memorial Hospital at Hill Station, Freetown, in a coma. Doctors battled to save his life, but he succumbed to his injuries this morning.
Only a few days ago, while extending condolence for the death of a media colleague, Madam Esther Kargbo, who died before Christmas, Philip Neville had made this telling remark on Whatsapp : “We are all dead men and women walking on the streets so don’t be sad surprised if one of us falls down, just wait for your turn” . Little did he know that he would be next.
THE SIERRA LEONE ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS, which Neville served as Vice- President at one time, sent out this crisp announcement this morning.
Esther Kargbo of SLBC Kailahun, Aruna Jack Turay of Star TV and Philip Neville of Media One and Standard Times. May their souls rest in perfect peace and may God comfort their families.
My heart goes out to you and to the bereaved families at this difficult time. Wishing you the best and be assured of my fullest support in these difficult times.”
According to WORLDPRESS.ORG,
“Since he ( Neville ) founded Standard Times in 1994, he has endured government reprisals for his paper’s independence and hard-hitting reporting. He has been arrested and detained numerous times between 1994 and 1996. After the overthrow of the elected government of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in May 1997, the AFRC military regime targeted the journalists of Standard Times. Neville and his staff went underground, but continued to publish the newspaper. He was attacked, and eventually fled into exile in the United States.
Neville returned to Sierra Leone after the restoration of the Kabbah government in 1998. But after the rebels invaded Freetown in the first days of 1999, they targeted Neville’s newspaper for reprisal. On Jan. 9, 1999, rebels burned the offices of Standard Times and murdered Paul Mansaray, Standard Times’s news editor, as well as Mansaray’s wife, his children, and his nephew. Neville again went into exile in the United States and returned to Sierra Leone in July 1999. After two years back in Sierra Leone, Neville and several other Sierra Leonean journalists received death threats, forcing Neville back into exile in the United States.
In September 2000, World Press Review named Neville and two other Sierra Leonean journalists, David Tam-Baryoh and Paul Kamara, International Editors of the Year. After learning of his return to the United States, World Press Review caught up with Neville for his insight into the situation in Sierra Leone today.”
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists ( CPJ ) on September 13, this year : “In mid-August, Sierra Leone’s broadcast media regulator, National Telecommunications Commission, suspended the licenses of privately owned broadcasters Star Radio and Star TV for over two weeks and denied workers access to the broadcasters’ transmitters in Brookfields, a neighborhood in western Freetown….Authorities in Sierra Leone should allow Star television and radio stations to continue reporting the news and provide the public with information,” said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative, in Nairobi. “Media regulators are too often used as tools to gag the media and the suspension of Star raises concern over freedom of the press in Sierra Leone.”
Last year, Philip Neville and his Station Manager Abdul Rahman, were arrested by the government and denied bail. He was only released after a week, following interventions by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists and the print and digital media.
