The President of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), Julius Kanubah, has cautioned government officials and public institutions against using state platforms to attack critics, urging them instead to embrace transparency, professionalism, and constructive public engagement.
Speaking Wednesday, July 8, 2027, at the launch of the Open Media House initiative organized by the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) on Bushrod Island, Kanubah said government institutions should “shun the politics of confrontation and insults” in disseminating public information and avoid becoming “attack dogs.”
“This initiative by NaFAA shows that rather than being an attack dog, NaFAA, like some other institutions of government, is proactive and responsible in providing relevant information about its work, achievements, and challenges,” Kanubah declared.
He argued that transparent communication strengthens public confidence in government and should replace hostile exchanges with critics and the media. Referring to President Joseph N. Boakai’s often-repeated remark about not paying attention to “barking dogs,” Kanubah said public officials should not allow government institutions to become instruments of political confrontation.
“If President JNB is noted for advancing the narrative of not paying attention to ‘barking dogs,’ it is important for actors in government not to transform their institutions into an attack dog,” he stressed.
Kanubah praised NaFAA for establishing the Open Media House, describing the initiative as a major step toward improving public access to information on Liberia’s fisheries and aquaculture sector while promoting accountability and transparency.
He noted that the platform had already attracted significant interest from leading journalists and media institutions, demonstrating the importance of open engagement between government agencies and the press.
The PUL President also reaffirmed the media’s constitutional role as the watchdog of society, encouraging journalists to continue holding public officials and institutions accountable, including NaFAA itself. “As the media is the watchdog of society, we would like to encourage all journalists and media institutions to continue to hold to account actors and institutions exercising public authority,” he said.
Kanubah further urged journalists covering the fisheries and aquaculture sector to produce factual, balanced, and impactful reports grounded in the core principles of journalism—fairness, accuracy, impartiality, and responsibility.
He concluded by calling for stronger collaboration between government institutions and the media in advancing the public interest, thanking NaFAA and its partners for launching what he described as a commendable transparency initiative.
