LGSA Success Story: Local Journalists Share Best Practices on and Experiences with Reporting on the Liberia Land Sector

Dr. Marquardt and Mr. Burphy of LGSA sit with local journalists from four countries discussing their reportage of the land sector.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Liberian Land Governance Support Activity (LGSA), a five-year project that focuses on improving Liberian land rights institutions while bolstering access to land for all Liberians. LGSA hosted an all-day training session in Monrovia for journalists from Monsterrado, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, and Gbarpolu counties who had previously met in Monrovia for a Liberia Land Authority/UNMIL awareness campaign on the Land Authority and the pending Land Rights Bill.

The local journalists, who had participated in an earlier Interim Land Task Force/LGSA media training program, were asked to share experiences on their coverage of the Liberian land sector. The workshop was moderated by LGSA Communications and Outreach Specialist, Richule O. Burphy who thanked the press for their immense work in reporting on the events and happenings in the land sector.

In his opening remark, LGSA Chief of Party, Dr. Mark Marquardt, emphasized the importance of holding meetings through which journalists can get together and share experiences and learn from one another. “We are relying heavily on the media to provide the public with clear information on what’s happening and going on and provide information on what’s happening and going on and provide information to people as the land reform processes move forward,” relayed Dr. Marquardt.

In sharing his experience, Henry Gboluma, Program Director of Kpo Radio in Gharpolu, as he recounted some of the infamous land disputes in Gbarpolu County, mentioned that “[LGSA’s] training inspired me to do more work on the land sector, and I was able to follow me to do more work on the land sector, and I was able to follow the geographic disputes that affected the voter registration exercise in the Jungle James Mining Camp in Gbarpolu. Because of the quality of my report, it was published on the Local Voices Liberia website.”

Also serving as program Director but for Radio Cape Mount in Senjie, Grand Cape Mount county, Jenneh Kemokai, after participating in a LGSA-supported media training in Tubmanburg, she introduced a one-hour weekly radio program dubbed ‘Our Land Business,’ that is currently on the radio.
During the discussions, participants reached the conclusion, among others, that journalistic collaborations and comings together enable them to reach a wider and more diverse audience while making a strong impact. Participants also saw the need for strong networking among journalists for continued experience sharing, which will be part of LGSA’s continued and future activity programming.

During the discussions, participants reached the conclusion, among others, that journalistic collaborations and comings together enable them to reach a wider and more diverse audience while making a strong impact. Participants also saw the need for strong networking among journalists for continued experience sharing, which will be part of LGSA’s continued and future activity programming.