Commentaries
APC’s Radio Damage Control Drive..... Doing A Poor Job In Laundering Agriculture Minister’s Image
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Jun 12, 2008, 16:12

Journalists, media practitioners and public relation officers are always faced with the task of managing information for the good of the state, corporate bodies, institutions and individuals. Management in this dimension involves information that has direct or indirect relationships to individuals, institutions and corporate bodies. However, in the process of managing the bits and pieces of information that filter in or out of these institutions, several miscalculations take place which in the end has negative impact on the individuals or institutions on whose behalf the managers commonly referred to in the information industry as public relation officers are working.

Generally, and even professionally the responsibility of public relation officers is to manage and micromanaged information and makes it productive. This does not in any way mean that propaganda should be the weapon to change the perception of the viewers, readers or consumers of the information that is already in the public domain. Propaganda has a limit when used and when the public relation officers over used propaganda to solve the problem of information management, most times during the process it may boomerang. Too many use of propaganda sometimes produces negative results and once the result is negative it cannot be easily laundered for a change.

This brings to mind the latest propaganda machine put into operation two nights ago by the APC Target Radio in a bid to launder the image of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Sam Sesay. As it happens in every institution, efforts are always directed at the public to change their minds and views regarding an issue. But caution should be one of the guide principles when undertaking such public relation exercise. This is because several questions need to be properly answered when reacting or undertaking the job. Among the questions the public would want to know is why a publication(s) or broadcast statement(s) was made against the individual or the company.

Flimsy reasons or excuses are not treated rationally by the public who had already consumed the initial part of the information and may be waiting for more sweet or bitter pieces of the same information to consume. Propaganda as an immediate solution is not admissible so far the public is concerned. In the case of Dr. Sesay that the APC Target radio was bashing and lashing out at journalists, describing them as irresponsible and unprofessional; there was an element of truth that unconsciously came out by one of the members of the panel. That alone, has giving credence to the publication if any logical and critical assessment is made.

This was his appearance at the Tegloma dinner organized at Philadelphia Lancaster Hall. Did he attend the dinner? Of course he went their in the company of others and fully took part in the ceremony. If those who are in sympathy with the Russian Academic Doctor had denied that he never went there or took part in the dinner, there would have been substantial ground for argument. As indicated earlier, that caution in managing information should not be neglected nor ignored. Even if the publication was wrong, one good venture the “On Target APC Radio” has made clear was to confirm the fact that a dinner was organized on Dr. Sesay’s behalf at Philadelphia which he was invited to and took part in. This piece of information is very relevant to the discussion, to make and unmake him.

Another area not mentioned, that is not a secret to most people including this writer about Dr. Sesay is his good appetite for alcohol. It is not that he is an alcoholic, but he has appetite for it just like any good food. Konie Yabai a popular alcohol dealer around Public Works Department (PWD) Pademba Road can testify to the fact that Dr. Sesay has very good appetite for liquor such as beer, stout and even dry gin. Konie Yabai’s base at PWD is nothing strange to this Russian Academic Doctor. One could imagine the climatic condition of Russia where Dr. Sesay obtained his doctorate degree after graduating from the Milton Margai Teachers College by then, no second or third degree---direct to PHD. That was a brilliant effort eh? Coming back to the issue of information management, the target APC Radio failed to undertake any background check to know which food he likes best or dislikes and why he usually visits Konie Yabai’s base at PWD.

Problem normally associated with information management is sentiment which was clearly exhibited by the APC on Target Radio. Sentiment is not a requisite in management whether in administration or public relation, but facts and clarity. Even when confusing the minds of the consumers of information, facts must be used and not propaganda if not the exercise would be muddled and bundled.

Another area worth commenting on, perhaps that would serve as a pointer to the fact, was how Dr. Sesay arrived at the Lancaster Hall in Philadelphia and how he returned home after the dinner. This writer is simply asking about the mode or method of transportation that took him from where he was a guest to the party and brought him back.

Dr. Sesay traveled in a car driven by one of his friends whose name is Mohammed Conteh. The APC Radio had claimed that callers from the diaspora denied the publication saying that it was untrue. If we have been able to establish the fact that a dinner was convened at Philadelphia, let us try to establish the method of transportation that conveyed Dr. Sesay to and back.

The method we agreed was a private transport owned by his friend who drove him while he occupied the front seat by the driver. On their way coming from the dinner party, what happened? This is the most crucial part of the debate. Were they stopped (pull over) by police? This is where the work of the public relation officer is crucial. In America driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious offence. It is serious because both the life of the driver and others are at risk and it is the duty of the police to protect each and every individual on the soil of America.

About seven years back a foreign diplomat driving under the influence of alcohol killed an innocent young lady in the Washington District of Columbia. He was tried for the offence of Manslaughter and sentenced to prison; despite several pleas made on his behalf by his home country he suffered the consequences of his action. It tells the sane mind that in the United States of America the law is not a respecter of person but of legal principles. Also, it would be recalled that a Congress man driving in terrific speed violated the traffic light and hit a pedestrian was detained, tried and found guilty of traffic offences. He too was sent to jail despite being a congressman in South Dakota.

Although, the article did not say that Dr. Sesay was the driver, however it did state that he was occupying the front seat when his driver friend violated the traffic light and was pulled over by the police. The police on examination discovered that both of them were under the influence of alcohol. In this regard, the offence committed by Dr Sesay’s driver friend is graver than the Russian Academic Doctor who was not on the driver’s seat. In light of this, he was put on outside detention while his friend was detained and charged to court. Development about this matter will be published as it emerges for the public to know the truth.

In their desperation to crucify journalists, Haja Sarata and her colleagues claimed that the SLPP had raised $50,000. This money they claim is what is being used to pay journalists to discredit the APC party. The statement is not only unfortunate, but unsubstantiated and without merit and proof. What is $50,000 to some journalists and media houses? One would not be surprised over the utterances of a desperate symbol seeker who left the United States of America after wasting time. She claims to be a trained nurse while in America, if indeed it was true she can be useful in Sierra Leone if she makes her services available to our sick compatriots at the Connaught and Princess Maternity Hospitals.

Information management is an intellectual and academic programme not meant for drop-outs who find themselves occupying seats in a party radio station. During the discussion in defending Dr. Sesay somebody mentioned the element of justification in defamation without talking about the extent to which justification can be used to set a journalist free or finds him guilty. If according to the defenders of Dr. Sesay justification cannot save a journalist; what about the right of the public to know the truth about a government minister who enjoyed himself in a foreign land and found himself entangled with the law?

On the whole, the efforts to clean the minister did not pay his defenders any reasonable dividend; instead it has attracted more attention into the matter. The information, to say the truth has been mismanaged and not managed.