MONROVIA: The World Bank (WB) has challenged Liberian journalists and media institutions to defend credibility, expose national realities and shape the country’s future, warning that independent media is essential to democracy, accountability and development.
At the 62nd Anniversary Celebration of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), World Bank Group Liberia Country Manager, Georgia Wallen, delivered a forceful message: Liberia’s development cannot be sustained without an independent, credible and professional media.
Speaking in Monrovia under the anniversary theme: “Empowering Independent Media for Democracy, Accountability and Sustainable Development in Liberia,” Wallen said, journalism is not merely a channel for disseminating information but a critical component of the country’s institutional and development infrastructure.
She urged Liberian journalists to recognize the weight of their profession, arguing that the media’s influence extends from shaping public understanding and national debate to strengthening governance, investor confidence and inclusive development.
Wallen said, the PUL’s 62-year history represents more than an institutional milestone, describing it as an opportunity to examine the media’s contribution to Liberia’s past, present and future.
Against the backdrop of Liberia’s 179-year history, she noted that the Press Union has endured for more than six decades, while generations of journalists have documented the country’s triumphs, crises and transformations.
“Liberian journalists have borne witness to this great country’s experience, giving voice to the voiceless and providing a lifeline of information in good times and in hard times,” she said.
She paid tribute to the resilience, courage and commitment of journalists who, over the years, have served as the “eyes and ears” of the Liberian society and contributed to shaping the national conscience.
According to Wallen, investigations, reporting and public-interest journalism have helped citizens understand national developments and, in many instances, influenced the direction of public discourse.
She referenced the World Bank’s 2002 World Development Report, which examined the role of institutions and markets and highlighted the media’s contribution to development, including giving marginalized people a voice, improving public health, supporting commerce and strengthening governance.
But she stressed that these benefits depend on a media environment characterized by independence, accountability, credible information and diverse social perspectives.
Credibility Is the Foundation. Wallen identified credibility as the central pillar of professional journalism, saying, public trust is earned through a sustained commitment to truth, transparency, accuracy and accountability.
She challenged journalists to maintain rigorous standards in fact-checking, verification and contextual reporting, particularly at a time when public confidence in information is increasingly tested.
“Credibility is the product of an enduring commitment to truth, transparency and accountability,” she said, emphasizing that journalists must continue to verify facts, provide context and uphold fairness.
Her argument places professional journalism at the center of Liberia’s democratic architecture, where citizens depend on accurate information to scrutinize government decisions, understand national policies and participate meaningfully in public affairs.
According to Wallen, Liberia’s development agenda requires more than physical infrastructure and financial investment, insisting that trusted information and public confidence are equally important foundations for sustainable growth.
“Development depends on an informed public, and an informed public depends on a free and responsible press,” she noted.
She explained that investors require reliable information to make decisions, while citizens need understandable and accurate reporting about policies affecting their livelihoods.
Communities, she added, require platforms through which their concerns, aspirations and experiences can reach national decision-makers.
For Wallen, responsible journalism can therefore help create conditions in which businesses grow, reforms gain public understanding and development reaches communities more inclusively.
The media, she argued, has a particular responsibility to report both Liberia’s challenges and its progress without compromising professional standards.
Wallen also warned that the rapid expansion of social media and artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the information environment and placing new demands on professional journalists.
Information now moves faster than ever, she said, creating opportunities while simultaneously increasing the risks of misinformation, distorted narratives and unreliable content.
Referencing the World Bank’s 2026 World Development Report, The Promise of Artificial Intelligence, she said, the rapid spread of AI and social media makes strong local institutions and reliable foundational data increasingly important.
As technology makes it more difficult for citizens to distinguish fact from fiction, Wallen said, professional journalism must respond by becoming “more reliable, more rigorous and more indispensable.”
The challenge, she suggested, is no longer simply being first to publish, but being trusted when the public needs to know what is true.
Looking beyond the immediate challenges facing the media, Wallen challenged journalists to investigate one of Liberia’s most consequential long-term questions: how the country will prepare for a rapidly growing population?
She cited projections from Liberia’s 2022 National Population and Housing Census, indicating that the country’s population could exceed 8 million by 2042.
The projection, she said, should prompt deeper national conversations about the investments required to prepare Liberia for the future.
“What will it take for Liberia to be ready for that future?” she asked, challenging journalists to examine what investments will be required to achieve the country’s national vision and create a prosperous and equitable society for a growing population.
She pointed to the work of the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), including national statistical exercises such as the Agriculture Census and forthcoming household expenditure and firm surveys.
But she urged journalists to go beyond statistics. The media, she said, has the unique ability to transform national data into human stories by documenting how economic and social changes affect Liberians in counties, districts and communities.
In her closing remarks, Wallen urged journalists not to underestimate the influence and value of their profession. “Every microphone you hold, every camera you operate, every interview you conduct, and every story you publish, has influence and value,” she said.
She stressed that Liberian journalists possess an advantage that international media organizations cannot easily replicate: they are on the ground.
From rural communities to urban centers, she said, local journalists have direct access to the people whose experiences should inform Liberia’s national conversation.
She specifically highlighted farmers, workers, entrepreneurs, young people, women, children and communities whose experiences can otherwise remain outside national policy debates.
“You have unique access, opportunity and responsibility to honor and amplify the voices of those who are often unheard,” Wallen added.
The World Bank official further challenged the media to inform citizens about decisions affecting their lives, contribute to national dialogue and pursue stories that serve the public interest.
Wallen’s address ultimately placed independent journalism alongside the institutions and systems required for Liberia’s long-term development.
“Independent and credible media is not an obstacle to development. It is part of the infrastructure of development,” she declared.
Her message to the PUL at 62 was therefore both a tribute and a challenge: the Union’s six-decade legacy must be matched by a renewed commitment to professional standards, public-interest journalism, accountability and credible information.
As Liberia looks toward a larger population, deeper digital transformation and an increasingly complex development landscape, Wallen said, the country will need journalists capable of asking difficult questions, interrogating national data, exposing realities from communities and ensuring that citizens remain at the center of the development conversation.
Meanwhile, she congratulated the Press Union of Liberia on its 62 years of service and called for an even stronger contribution from the Liberian media to the country’s continuing story—past, present and future.
The ceremony brought together media practitioners, civil society actors, government officials, foreign dignitaries and ordinary citizens.
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