Rod Mac-Johnson, Chairman of the IMC
Following the media war of words between them, the Independent Media Commission yesterday slammed a one-month ban on three newspapers with immediate effect.
According to a press release, Awareness Times, Independent Observer and Senator were suspended after a string of publications deemed obscene and abusive. They were also fined Le 2 Million which must be paid within one month.
The IMC board had met with Jonathan Leigh the Managing Editor of the Independent Observer and Arnold Akibo-Betts who edits The Senator.
The commission resolved that the three newspapers had breached several sections of the IMC code of practice particularly section 23 which deals with ethics.
This is the first time the IMC has suspended three newspapers for breach of its code of ethics since it was founded in 2000.
There has been no reaction to the decision of the commission. Both the Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, Ismael Koroma and the Chairman of the Guild of Newspaper Editors, Kelvin Lewis declined to comment for the time being.
