Africa

Sierra Leone

{This graph represents scores that have been modified by CIMA so that higher scores indicate a better media situation. It is intended to show trends over time; each index measures significantly different factors of press freedom. To see an explanation for how this graph was created, click here.}

IREX Score: 2.00	[IREX Methodology]
{Higher is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to 4.00}

IREX Description:

Today, Sierra Leone relies heavily upon donor support, mainly from the British government and the European Union. The nation's productive capacity is destroyed, and direct foreign investment is almost nonexistent. By the time the war ended, the media counted among the casualties. Journalists were divided, with some openly supporting the various sides (the rebels, the government, and the remnants of the defeated Sierra Leone army and their allies in the three military juntas that briefly took power at different times during the war). Some journalists fled abroad. Newspapers were replete with petty infighting among journalists. High school dropouts became journalists and editors overnight on newspapers set up by unscrupulous politicians to settle scores or puff up their images in the hope of obtaining political appointments or lucrative government contracts. The media lost all credibility.

However, in the years following the war, much work has been done to restore the image of journalism in Sierra Leon, ranging from physically rehabilitating media institutions to training personnel. As the MSI shows clearly, the international attention that Sierra Leone received from the UN peacekeeping mission and the support of foreign governments and international organizations led to a commitment by the then-ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) to promote free speech and freedom of the media. With a few exceptions, the media gained more freedom to write or say anything about the government.

International interest in the media as a tool to check government excess has increased support for media development. That created more news sources, and there are now community radio stations and many daily newspapers. However, professional journalism standards suffered badly, and the nation must now contend with a flood of unskilled people who found their way into journalism to fulfill political agendas.

Africa

Sierra Leone

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Freedom House Score: 53 (Partly Free)	[Freedom House Methodology]
{Lower is Better, Score Ranges from 0 to 100}