Liberia

2012

  
Mauri König (Michael Nagle/Getty Images for CPJ)

Awardees say indignation trumps intimidation

The battle for a free press sometimes feels like a war between indignation and intimidation. Journalists learn of abuses of power, crime, or corruption, and–indignant–they speak out. In response, the perpetrators of those abuses–be they government officials or criminals–try to intimidate the journalists into silence with threats, lawsuits, jail, or even murder. Last night, the…

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Selma Lomax. (FrontPage Africa)

Liberia university suspends student journalist over article

A private university in Liberia has suspended a journalist studying there for publishing a newspaper story critical of the institution’s management. On May 8, private Cuttington University in Suacoco in central Liberia suspended Selma Lomax, a reporter with independent newspaper FrontPage Africa and a third-year student in agriculture at the institution, for four months over an April 26…

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Mae Azango compared going into a hiding with hanging in a bat cave. (CPJ/Sheryl Mendez)

Liberian journalist Mae Azango on cold threats, hot stories

Mae Azango was not surprised when the Liberian police failed to help when she began receiving threats of violence in response to an article she had written about female genital cutting that was published on in FrontPage Africa on March 8. She had previously reported critically on the police, including a case of police brutality…

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The story that ignited controversy, generated threats, and forced a government to take a stand.

In Liberia, journalist Mae Azango moves a nation

Liberian journalist Mae Azango’s courageous reporting on female genital mutilation, which made her the target of threats and ignited international controversy, has forced her government to finally take a public position on the dangerous ritual. For the first time, Liberian officials have declared they want to stop female genital mutilation, a traditional practice passed down…

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2012