Forum Newspaper SL, a widely considered outlet as one of the major media partners to the main opposition, All People Congress (APC) is being left with no hard feelings but to publicly share their editorial team’s experience encountered on Monday 29th May, 2023, during the launch of the APC presidential standard bearer’s manifesto the Lagoonda Hotel, Aberdeen west of Freetown.
Forum journalists were of the strongest conviction that APC National Secretariat will drop them an invite at their 29 Rawdon Street office, turned out to be a one man show white elephant media teamwork. Regardless of the previous disappointment, Forum Newspaper SL continued to remain committed to the partnership and as a result dispatched its Desk Editor to cover that all important event in the history of both the party and the nation at large.
Despite all the bashing they have been receiving from the paper, the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party surprisingly sent an invite to the News Desk of Forum News to cover the unveiling of their party’s People’s Manifesto in Kenema.
However, to Forum’s biggest disappointment on arrival at Lagoonda Hotel, Aberdeen village, in the far west of Freetown, the APC security wing denied the media institution’s desk editor entrance into the hall.
The refusal to grant Forum’s Desk Editor an entrance was not only disappointing as compared to the reason given by the party security as to why entrance was rudely refused saying… “we can’t grant you access because you are late, secondly the hall is full” APC’s Security Wing told Forum’s Desk Editor.
Forum Newspaper SL will without fear or favor want the APC party organizers of the launch and the Publicity wing realize that they have annoyed media houses that had and continues to remain committed towards making public anything that is of party interest.
Such attempt by either the organizers or the publicity wing of the party be it deliberate or otherwise, can be of a far-reaching effect, especially so when the campaign leading to the elections are just a skip to catch.
It has also come to the notice of Forum News SL that most of APC’s presidential candidate’s programmes and activities are most times seen inappropriately flooding the social media platforms, side-lining the real time media handlers of the party at the detriment of the standard bearer and the party in general.
The APC is blessed with readily willing and well determined media institutions that are desirous in ensuring that the party’s presidential candidate is fully covered before, during and after the elections, yet the circus around Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara and Hon Chrenor Ramadan Maju Bah continue to suffer them in silent marginalization for proactive media visibilities. Whiles wishing the party the absolute best of victory in its push to lead, we want to make it clear to the national secretariat that the APC does not just belong to the present executive but Sierra Leoneans, irrespective of one’s religious, tribal and regional sentiments.
So, the push and pull from and around the emerging leaders must stop now.
