THE GAMBIA
By Momodou Musa Touray, Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Observer
24 February 2003

The Gambia, a tiny country in West Africa, is a former British colony with 1.3 million people. It is a safe haven in the trouble-prone West African sub-region. The Gambia is an emerging democracy after returning from a brief military interregnum in 1996. The country has gone through two successive presidential elections, in 1996 and 2001 respectively, which were deemed free and fair by international observers.

The Gambian Media
The Gambian press has been playing its key role as a watchdog of the Government after the return of constitutional rule. The press, particularly, the print media, has been playing a vibrant role in promoting good governance, rule of law and democratic values. It safeguards good governance by exposing abuse of power, human rights violations and all other forms of misrule and excesses by Government. It has provided a forum for ordinary citizens to voice out their concerns on the performances of their elected representatives. In essence, it has served as an early warning signal, informing Gambians of what is happening and providing a forum for public discussion on issues that concern and affect them.

There are scores of media organisations both private and government-owned. The private print media in The Gambia are owned by private individuals and companies. For purposes of this report, the focus will be on newspapers because they are the most vibrant of the Gambian press.

Newspapers
The print media in The Gambia are relatively free from Government control in terms of entering the market. Practically, as long as the material is not offensive and the paper is registered, anyone can produce a publication.

There is no regulatory body apart from the Gambia Press Union which has been promoting and protecting Press Freedom in the country. Albeit, recently the Government enacted an Act of Parliament establishing the National Media Commission, which has been regarded by media practitioners as draconian and intended at stifling the private press.

There are about six newspapers in The Gambia namely: The Daily Observer, The Point, The Independent, Foroyaa, New & Report and The Gambia Daily. There is only one independent daily paper, The Daily Observer. All other papers are published bi-weekly and weeklies and all the publications are done in English. Apart from the Gambia Daily, all the other papers mentioned above are private-owned newspapers.

However, the newspaper industry has been divided into two camps: one that is pro-government and one that is anti-government.

Media Commission Act
The Gambia's print media is at a cross-road. The general perception of media practitioners in government circle is negative. Journalists are perceived as adversaries rather than partners in national development. Even though officially it is the Fourth Estate of the Realm, it is still considered an adversary. In May 2, 2002, on the eve of World Press Freedom Day, The Gambia's legislature adopted an obnoxious media bill, the National Media Commission Bill, targeting the private press. Despite the hue and cry from media practitioners, the draconian bill was enacted on August 8, 2002. The commission has been vested with powers to hear complaints relating to the media, and to institute fine and imprison journalists.

Some of the excessive clauses of the commission include:

• Maintaining a register of media practitioners
• Provide for a code of conduct for media practitioners, and set standards with regards to the contents and quality of materials for publication or broadcast by the media.
• The commission can force journalists to disclose their sources.

Observers fear the commission "will seriously threaten press freedom" in The Gambia. Robert Menard, secretary general of the France-based Media watchdog, Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), in a letter addressed to the speaker of the Gambian parliament before the bill was enacted, said: "In no circumstances must a press monitoring body replace regular courts. The extent of the commission's powers, with a chairman appointed by the head of state, is a serious threat to press freedom. The bill also violates the Gambian constitution, which guarantees such freedom."

After the adoption of the bill, the first negative effects on press freedom in the country are noted. The Gambian secret service, the National Intelligence Agency, arrested - and later released- three journalists. Journalist Pa Ousman Darboe was arrested in August 2002, in connection with an article published in the Banjul bi-weekly, The Independent, reporting that Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy had remarried a retired school teacher. Another media practitioner, Guy Patrick, a Congolese journalist with the African News Agency Pana, was held incommunicado from July 19 to August 1 at the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency. Recently, editors at Banjul bi-weekly, The Independent, reports of death threats from unidentified individuals.

The Gambia Press Union, an association of journalists in The Gambia, is challenging the constitutionality of the Media Commission Act.

The harassment of journalists by agents of the secret service is an ongoing process.

* Access to official information
In most cases, accessing official information can be difficult. There is a general feeling of press phobia, so to speak. Most civil servants and Government officials are unwilling to talk to journalists. The situation is aggravated by the lack of public relations personnel (spokesperson) in Government departments. So for most times, journalists find it 'tough' to get official confirmation.

* Lack of training facilities
There is a lack of a formal training facility for journalists. The absence of a school for journalists seriously hampers the developments of Gambian journalism. Hence, the lack of adequate skilled personnel. Most of the media organisations are staffed with "untrained" journalists most of whom are high school graduates. Most of these budding journalists get their training on-the-job.

Other problems Gambian journalists face include:

• Sustainability (The lack of capacity to expand)
• Low income from advertisement
• Printing press with old and obsolete machines
• Distribution (Literacy rates low. Circulation largely centred in Banjul, the capital.