By Mustapha Kamara Jnr
Youth Empowerment Development Association Sierra Leone (YADA-SL), a civil society organization, has urged the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) to address the issue of impersonation within its rank.
Mohamed Kamara, Executive Director YADA-SL, told Politico that they have had to deal with a number of complaint from the public, notably in the east end of Freetown, where he rogue people disguising as journalists were on the rampage extorting money from innocent business people.
He said they have received many complaints about journalists claiming to be members of SLAJ, who use such dubious identities to harass business owners and institutions around the Wellington Industrial Estate.
“The scale of harassment by the so called Journalists is becoming very embarrassing and alarming…Business houses and other institutions are the target of exploitation and intimidation…,” Kamara said. He said this action by imposters was degrading to the integrity and credibility of genuine practitioners.
YADA-SL, in a letter dated 10th August, 2015, addressed to SLAJ, the Independent Media Commission and other media institutions in the country, informed the stakeholders in the media industry about the situation.
Kamara told Politico that they deemed it fit to inform these organizations about the situation so that they could understand and find a way to addressing it promptly.
Kamara`s organization, he said, is a signatory to a 2013 Memorandum of Understanding with the Anti-Corruption Commission binding them to help fighting curb corruption in the country. The activist said their interest in this matter was informed by the position.
“We have been investigating and acting as a whistle blower” he said.
MR Distilleries Sierra Leone Company Limited, an Indian beverage Company in the Wellington Industrial, is one amongst a number of companies that have fallen victim of this practice of impersonation, according to its officials. They alleged harassment by individuals imposing as journalists
Ibrahim Jaffa Condeh, MR Distilleries` public relations officer, said many a time some people claiming to be journalists have come to their factory, making allegations and demanding monies from the investors of the company.
“We are not the only factories that they have been harassing,” he told Politico, adding: “and that could drive potential investors away”
Conteh said there were two sets of gangs of journalists that have been visiting their factory regularly and harassing the Indian investors for money. He named Ola Berry and Arthur Caulker as each heading a group.
The MR Distilleries spokesman said they had had to comply with the demands of the impersonators until they came to realize that they were not journalists. That was when they reported the matter to the Police.
SLAJ Secretary General Moses Kargbo said the umbrella journalist body had received similar complaints and that they had reported the matter to the Sierra Leone Police for further investigations.
“We would work closely with the Sierra Leone Police to investigate and charge anybody that is caught impersonating SLAJ,” Kargbo said.
Kargbo revealed that the association was planning to initiate a toll free line so that the general public could call and report any case of harassment by imposters of the institutions.
(C) Politico 19/08/15
