14 FOCUS: Journalism Spring 2010
The Talk of the Town In post-war Liberia, Alfred Sirleaf sees access to information as the key to peace. By Jessica Shor
I
n the early morning, before the streets of Monrovia, Liberia, fill
so people believed whatever they were told to believe.” Experienc-
with the bustle of everyday life, one man has already begun his
ing the oppression and atrocities of war, Sirleaf said, inspired him to
day. By the time the city awakens, he has prepared the news for
create “a new medium of communication, so people can be informed
all his countrymen to see. This experiment in grassroots journalism,
about local, national, and international issues.” That new medium of
a news outlet called The Daily Talk, lacks an office, paid staff, and
communication was The Daily Talk.
even a computer. Instead, Alfred Sirleaf disseminates the news in Liberia’s capital city using the simplest of tools: a blackboard and a
Something for Everyone
piece of chalk.
To reach a maximum number of readers, Sirleaf strives to keep The
Liberia is a nation in recovery. After enduring more than a decade
Daily Talk a community-centered, grassroots project. He selected
of civil war, the country has emerged as a tenuous democracy. The
Tubman Boulevard, a street running through central Monrovia, for
Daily Talk is Sirleaf’s contribution to his country’s newfound stabil-
his blackboard to ensure that his information would be displayed in a
ity. Sirleaf hopes that with free access to the news, his fellow citizens
high-traffic area. As a result, The Daily Talk’s readership includes a
will become informed and engaged, turning to politics and debate,
diverse group of Monrovians of all ages, classes, and education levels.
rather than war, for answers.
Luke Davis, a 22-year-old law student and self-proclaimed “Daily Talk admirer,” said that Sirleaf’s service plays an especially important
A Legacy of War
role for the young people of Monrovia: “It brings to light the issues
Since May 14, 2000, Sirleaf has spent each morning on the side of
and challenges young people face and informs us of our country’s
Tubman Boulevard, tirelessly writing stories of interest on his black-
direction. Youths are more and more politically and socially active in
board. Some news, especially international stories, comes from the
Liberia, and we must have access to news.”
Internet, which Sirleaf accesses at a local café. But more often than not, the news is generated on the streets of Monrovia itself. Sirleaf works with a number of volunteers, each of whom brings him information for local stories. Though this team of tipsters is small and unpaid, it is well organized. Only after receiving information for a story from at least two volunteers does Sirleaf post it on The Daily Talk. “I have several different people covering the same story, so we
can’t just have a few informed people “ We ruling the rest of the country. That’s how we ended up fighting and killing. We’re talking about a democracy.” –Alfred Sirleaf
get different view points,” explained Sirleaf. “No two opinions on a piece of news will be the same, but this way we can ensure we get accurate information.”
The illiterate, who comprise 40 percent of Liberia’s adult popula-
Sirleaf’s desire to provide free access to accurate information
tion, is another demographic that Sirleaf seeks to reach. To deliver
stems from witnessing first-hand the horrors of his country’s lengthy
the news to those who cannot read, Sirleaf devised a system in which
civil war. Fighting first began in 1989, and with the exception of a
he hangs objects on The Daily Talk’s blackboard to symbolize the
brief ceasefire from 1996 to 1999 when former rebel leader Charles
topics of the day’s news. Frequently displayed objects include a gun
Taylor served as president, war raged until 2003. By the time the sec-
representing Charles Taylor, a hubcap showing President Ellen John-
ond ceasefire was signed, the country had been ravaged. The fight-
son Sirleaf — known as the Iron Lady of Politics — and a blue helmet
ing destroyed much of Monrovia’s infrastructure and left most of the
symbolizing the U.N. peacekeepers stationed in Liberia. And just as
country without electricity for nearly 14 years. Disease, violence, and
the news is never static, neither are Sirleaf’s symbols. While a white
starvation killed 250,000 people, one out of every 12 Liberians. For
handkerchief, implying peace, usually represents President Obama,
those who survived the war, life expectancy dropped to 44 years, in-
for example, a red cloth was displayed after his announcement of
fant mortality rose to more than 10 percent, and GDP per capita fell
a troop surge for Afghanistan. This system, Sirleaf said, helps him
to just $500.
“reach all levels of people in society: educated, semi-educated, and
According to Sirleaf, the causes of his country’s turmoil are clear:
uneducated.”
“One can trace the war back to misinformation. Those with informa-
Perhaps The Daily Talk’s greatest accomplishment, however,
tion used their own machinery to misguide, misuse, and oppress the
has been providing the news for free. In a nation where 80 percent
people without information. They denied the people of information,
of the population lives below the poverty line, many people cannot