A Long Way to Go in the Fight for Press Freedom

The recently appointed U.S. Ambassador to The Gambia really is every bit the diplomat. In his absorbing interview with Ebrima Sawaneh, News Editor of The Point, he clearly sets out his stall and future plans but neatly side steps the question on freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

The question read; “Your country is viewed by many as a champion of freedom of expression and a free press. How would you gauge The Gambia?”

In response Mr. Wells replied, “Freedom of expression is really a key part of championing democracy and as I think in any case it is always a work in progress.” This is a perfectly straightforward, factual answer, but it is not really a full comment on the issue of press freedom in The Gambia. We are all aware of the issues facing the press in this country. To describe press freedom in The Gambia as a work in progress is diplomatic in the extreme. Perhaps a better question would have been, “Would the American people tolerate the restrictions which are put on the press in The Gambia to be applied to the United States?”

It is clear that the situation would not be tolerated for a moment.

Of course we are not suggesting that the situation in the United States is perfect. In fact, many around the world are concerned about the narrow spectrum of news to which people there are exposed. The major difference however is that there, people are guaranteed the right to hear news, of any kind, from any source they wish. News is freely available to the people of the United States and those who disseminate it do not live in fear. Let us again quote Ambassador Wells, “Freedom of expression is really a key part of championing democracy.” This is a statement of the purest fact. When freedom of expression is tampered with or restricted, democracy suffers and, as a result, those who democracy is supposed to serve also suffer. The only people who benefit from restrictions on press freedom and freedom of expression are those in power and those who have some secret they wish to keep hidden. Let us take the answer of Ambassador Wells and embellish it slightly so that we come closer to the reality on the ground in this country. He said, “Freedom of expression is really a key part of championing democracy and as I think in any case it is always a work in progress.” We say, “in the case of The Gambia there is a long way to go before that work is complete.”

“The world must be made safe for democracy.”

Woodrow Wilson