Shekpendeh Newspaper Is Born

Editorial Comment

Who We Are!!!

The word 'Shekpendeh' refers to the eagle in the Kono, Sherbro and Mende local parlance. The eagle is on record as having perhaps the best sight amongst birds worldwide, with a capacity to spot objects from a thousand kilometers or even more.

Shekpendeh Newspaper is designed therefore to give premium to investigative -exploratory journalism and human rights reporting, as well as promoting the tenets of media for peace.

The main aim of Shekpendeh Newspaper is to serve as the official mouthpiece of the wider civil society body in the country and to join other media houses in the advocacy for good governance, adherence to the principles of the rule of Law, respect for human rights and a violent free society where love for each other abounds.

Countless number of human right interest stories are lying dead waiting to be woken up. Justice for the aggrieved however delayed is crucial if only to consolidate the negative peace the country currently enjoys after an eleven years civil war that left thousands killed, thousands including innocent women and children  heartlessly amputated or indecently assaulted, and thousands more left either physically or psychologically displaced.

Against the backdrop that there can be no peace without justice, it suits us as journalists to do what we can to restore the happiness of aggrieved persons in society, using the media as an effective tool for achieving that.

It is our belief that Sierra Leone is at crossroads. It is also our belief that all is not lost if only we can all resolve to put things right and make the country the paradise it was destined to be.

The media has a great role to play in this drive. It goes without saying that nothing succeeds in practical terms in Sierra Leone presently without the use of the media.

Neither the government nor stakeholders in politics, civil service, diplomatic circles and civil society get through to the general masses without the media. The effective use of the media is therefore very crucial for the peaceful cohesion and development of the nation.

The media is thriving in Sierra Leone, thanks to the relative press freedom enjoyed by journalists, despite the maintenance of the seditious and libel laws in our law books, deemed to be repressive.

Shekpendeh Newspaper is coming at a time when the country is experiencing an impressive media revolution. This is evident by the number of newspapers, radio stations and television stations currently in operation. Standard Times Newspaper and the African Young Voices for instance can now boast of running media empires consisting of a newspaper, radio, television and a printing press, while most newspapers like AWOKO, Premier Media, Global Times, Salone Times and Concord Times to name a few, have gone coloured and some equipped with their own private printing facilities. 

Coming from the civil society and human rights angle, Shekpendeh Newspaper's editorial standpoint will differ significantly from a number of other media houses. 

We shall be biased in the best interest of the general masses and the country as a whole, while at the same time maintain a high level of objectivity and development journalism.

We shall cover events carried out by all sectors of society including government, political parties, civil society organizations, workers, students, teachers and lecturers and so on, and shall create as many partnerships as possible. This is so because we believe in achieving common objectives collectively.

Shekpendeh Newspaper will operate as a registered non-governmental and non-partisan media organization and shall dedicate lot of time and space to human interest stories as well as conducting training sessions for journalists and community people on various thematic issues.

We are here to serve and to stay. Please join us to make our objectives met.