The Daily Talk
The Daily Talk is an English language newspaper that appears daily on a board on Tubman Boulevard in Monrovia . According to a New York Times report, it is the most widely read newspaper in Monrovia. Especially since many locals lack the money to access conventional media.
The founder, editor-in-chief and only employee is Alfred J. Sirleaf . Sirleaf founded the newspaper in 2000 during the Liberian Civil War . He believes that a well-informed population is the foundation for the rebuilding of Liberia . The newspaper is funded by donations and is free of charge, and Sirleaf is not paid directly for his services either. This distinguishes the newspaper from other publications in Liberia, which are mostly owned by politicians and where journalists are paid not by their editorial offices but by those they cover. In addition to reports from voluntary, unpaid correspondents, The Daily Talk also incorporates news from the printed newspaper, which Sirleaf edited and commented on. Liberia's printed newspapers are in formal English, which is not well understood by most Liberians, while The Daily Talk uses dialect and streetwords that are common in everyday life. Since (according to estimates) over half of the residents of Monrovia can hardly read, Sirleaf supports understanding with the use of symbols and images. In addition, the messages are often read out by bystanders, which also gives illiterate people access to the information.
During the reign of Charles Taylor , the panels were destroyed after critical contributions and Sirleaf was arrested. However, the newspaper was restored a week before the 2005 presidential election.
Web links
- Prue Clarke: The Daily Talk . World Vision Report, Sept. 21, 2008. (Audio report, honored with the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Electronic Journalism)
- Steve Bloomfield: The Dail Talk . Video report from monocle.com
- Lydia Polgreen: All the News That Fits: Liberia's Blackboard Headlines , The New York Times . August 4, 2006.
Individual evidence
- ^ One mans mission to keep Monrovia in the know . The Independent, August 5, 2006
- ↑ Nick Tattersall: Weah ahead in Liberia election but may face run-off ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Reuters, October 13, 2005 (mirrored on swissinfo.ch)
