AYV News, November 5, 2025
The President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Alhaji Manika Kamara, has called for the establishment of an effective regulatory framework to safeguard the country’s online media landscape.
The SLAJ President made this call during a two-day national retreat in Bo, focused on drafting amendments to the Independent Media Commission (IMC) Act 2020, with support from the International IDEA as part of their democratic strengthening process.
He emphasised that the current lack of oversight in the existing IMC Act has led to “serious problems,” citing the proliferation of online platforms with misinformation and disinformation that are affecting the space negatively.
“The digital space is increasingly being exploited vested interests, particularly by political actors and their agents, to disseminate inaccurate information and incite public tension,” Kamara stated. “This undermines our democracy and social cohesion.”
He urged all stakeholders to collaborate decisively in designing targeted regulations that would curb these abuses while upholding media freedom.
The SLAJ President also acknowledged the support of IDEA International in building the capacity of both SLAJ and the IMC.
He concluded by encouraging the retreat participants to engage fully in the deliberations to develop an effective and forward-looking framework.
The stakeholders’ engagement targets officials from the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, SLAJ, IMC, MRCG and Station Managers, among others.
In a separate engagement, the SLAJ National President and National Vice President paid a courtesy visit to the family of the late father of Evelyn Turay in Bo to offer their condolences.
