Foreign Journalists Destroying Liberia’s Image
Mr Editor:
Crock addicts posing as journalists are destroying the image of Liberia by showing manipulated videos and interview to stop travelers from going to Liberia. The title of the video is “The Vice Guide to Liberia” on CNN.com and VBS.com.
I was very surprised that CNN posted this unsubstantiated and despicable video on its website. I hope the Liberian press and the government of Liberia will investigate this immediately. This video is posted on CNN.com as something that is currently happening in Liberia. I hope the press along with the Ministry of Information in Liberia looks into this because this has the potential to create a negative mind set for Liberia and discourage people from going to Liberia. It is so sad that foreign journalists will come to Liberia and exploit the people, create dubious characters and manipulated video to destroy a country trying to rebuild itself from destruction.
Here are the links to the video:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/01/18/vbs.liberia/index.html
Ivan Mitchell
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Comments
destroying the image of Liberia?
The lack of management: in waste disposal, education, security, infrastructures, healthcare etc. - and at the same time the abundance of corruption, violence, teenage pregnancy, rape, prostitution, drug trafficking - cannot be totally denied.
The facts are here, the truth cannot be changed, but all efforts be made to correct it to the better.
A balanced and well researched reporting is needed, not sensationalism for the sake of higher viewer records. This series was not produced intelligently to discredit Liberia, it is only a cheap and unintelligent scream that is aired under the pretense of "live on the scene" and "inside reports". BS!
I used to have a positive attitude, although not uncritical, of CNN. I think BBC is 100 times better. Now, CNN has joined the list of "do-not-watch" channels.
We know the problems at Waterside and West Point. I have lived in Liberia for 11 years and never even seen a brothel, is there one? With the promiscuity and poverty so dominant, who would need one?
UN soldiers go there for child prostitution and beating the women, and then leave without pay??? What? Who? Where? These people telling us that Liberia is a Republic of perverts and criminals, with a government that does not care? What an insult !
Well, we have a lot of traumatized citizens. There are ritualistic killings. Female genital mutilation known as female circumcision is "normal".
Robberies, street crime, drugs - that part reminds me of the US slums I have seen...Liberia is not Paradise.
But to use the US Ray Ban to view this culturally and traditionally specific country and its people is unfair, prejudiced, diminutive, and discriminative, especially considering their own dirt these "observers" should take care of first, ESPECIALLY when it comes to the role of the US in the destruction of Liberian families and properties.
Every coin has two sides; good reports tell backgrounds, history, reasons, developments, and not every thing is black or white or neon color. We need time and a careful, educated, humanistic approach to understand Liberia before we talk or report about it.
Kai Kubel, German, 51
Benson Street, Monrovia
kaikubel@yahoo.de