The Daily news Gambia’s premier independent Newspaper which was banned in 2012 from publication for its independence and strong stands on press freedom and democracy in the Gambia clocks five April 8th. The paper published my veteran Gambian Journalist Madi M.K. Ceesay quickly wins the respect and admiration of Gambians and the international community mainly for its uncompromising integrity and bravery even in the face of massive press oppression. The paper remained the only independent newspaper which was not afraid to publish critical issues about government. The paper operated openly and honestly using its constitutional rights to bring up issues that are relevant to the peace and security of the Gambia. The daily news is a newspaper that any nation and government needs which cares about hearing the views and opinions of its citizens… Gainako team would like to take this opportunity to wish our colleagues a special Happy 5th Anniversary for a job well done…The paper continue to publish an online version which you can read daily…
Below is an extract from the publication itself and an interview with its publisher on its special anniversary… Courtesy of the Daily News..
The Daily news first hit the streets of Banjul on a cool Monday morning of 9th April 2009 she clocks 5 years today; out of these five years the newspaper had only successively operated for three years and the remaining two years of its life was spend off the Gambia’s newsstands. How is life like for this once happy and smiling family (staff) of a young but focused newspaper was the question put to Madi .M.K.Ceesay Publisher of the newspaper which was ban a year and half ago?
This reporter engaged the publisher Madi M.K.Ceesay ,a Veteran journalists in his own right, 2006 CPJ’s International Press freedom Awardee and former President of GPU for his comments.
Madi: Thank you very much Fatou for your question. I must frankly say life was not normal for us the family of the Daily News since September 2012 when we were forced to shut down our operations. As you can see the in the picture that is displayed are broad smiling some happy family members of Daily News. This was how life was for anyone who once worked at the Daily News from day one of its operations. When I say life is no longer normal with us, what I really mean is that we are no longer together and all of us really lost that humor and love so Life is not normal as it used to be in that context.
DN: Now that the Daily News is not on hard copies, what happen to your former staff?
Madi: Daily News staff was well committed and dedicated staff; from the editorial team to management as a result many of us are now easily fitted into other newspapers/media and a few of us hold top management positions in well government and non-government set ups. Yes we may not be together as we were before but we are all fine and happy people at our new places of work.
DN: On December 31 2013, the President extended a good will gesture to two out of the three media houses by lifting ban on them; your Newspaper was left out, what is your reaction to that?
Madi:For me even if the ban was lifted on only one of us I would say that makes me a happy journalist. It is not who is allow operating but; rather has more journalists have access to their medium and are freely allow doing their job as a journalist. This is what matters to me more. We need the space to operate and to operate freely. Even if in the whole of the Gambia there is only one newspaper operating BUT it operates freely with a favorable environment with media laws that is up to acceptable standard am fine.
However in a situation where we have numerous bad media laws that are hampering on the job of journalists, only tantamount to a non-press free state. So in our own case the operation of many newspapers and radio stations will only make sense if the current bad media laws are scarp off our books of law.
The management and staff of the Daily News are still optimistic that we will come back one day how soon? We do not know that. But on behalf of those who are allow to operate again I say good luck to them and encourage the powers that be to allow others like us to come back in the game.
DN: You are one of the old journalists and have some degree of experience in this field of yours what are you assessment of the media in the Gambia?
Madi: If I am to assess the performance of the media in Gambia in the last 30 years, I would say we are among the best in the region. My reasons are that with all the denunciation the Gambian journalists have performed well and did not in any way contributed to inciting violence or reporting in a way that could potentially cause any tribal knock heads. These are people who are openly criticized even from some high ranking government quarters as just pen pushers and not trained. In many cases they say if any one who can push a pen calls himself a journalist. Journalism! I had always said is more of practical than theory. I am not in any way ruling out training for those who want to become journalist but what matters more is for potentials journalist to have a good command of a good writing and spoken English language as that is what our medium is. Afterwards is it not government that should build universities and colleges for people to go to for knowledge? Where is one for us in the Gambia?
The Gambia Press Union (GPU) has over the years trained a good number of its membership in basic journalism and also sends a lot of us outside of the country to attend short journalism courses in Ghana and Egypt. And it did not stop there, I challenge our critics to go to the GPU today and see for themselves the type of trainings in place. Such are coupled with many other short courses. Other players are also in the business; Insight Training Center, IPAM, and Stafford College just to name a few.
DN: Any comment on the arrest and detention of journalist?
Madi:The 2014 did not start well as two journalists (Sainey Marenah and Musa Shriff) were arrested detained for a couple of days and arranged before courts. In the past we have seen a lot of that kind happen and frankly it is not good at all for our governance. Many journalists had to flee the country for fear of their lives to safer countries like Senegal, UK and the United Sates and some in other parts of the world. Today many of those have their own online newspapers and radio stations reporting on Gambia and there are no powers to stop their publications.
What government should do is to come up with good media laws and engage the people behind those news outlets rather than confronting them with arrests and detentions and in some cases with even tortures. Dialogue should be the order of the day, though am not saying that journalists should be given a free license to write or publish whatever but intimidation is the right thing to do.
DN: What next for the Daily News?
Madi: Well as you can see we have packed from our location in Serekunda and now operating an online newspaper until the power that be allow us to operate again. For the former staff I wish all of them a long life and happiness and hope we shall soon reunite. For our colleagues I would say to them keep it up and continue to be professionals as you have always been doing before. For the parent body the GPU keep educating the young ones and refresh the older ones too.