CHERNO BABA JALLOW’S ATTEMPTED MEDIA COUP. By Watchman
Some months ago, I became exasperated by Bubacar Sankanu’s narcissistic online soliloquies at The Freedomnewspaper and decided to retort in the name of decency and sanity. It is time Cherno Baba Jallow had his due. I have had my eye on Mr. Jallow’s posturing at Gainako newspaper and All Gambian but figured at the time that he was innocuous and not a one trick pony like Sankanu. I was wrong but it is not too late to remedy the irritation that he has become. So here goes.

The theme of Cherno Baba Jallow’s faux article “When Journalism is the Enemy” is the deplorable and tattered condition of Gambian media; wordsmiths and columnists to be exact. As part of the fraternity of Gambia journalism, Mr. Jallow’s first gaffe was to make an attempt to usurp the mantle of Ombudsman and dean of all Gambian journalists at his own foolish prompting. An Ombudsman’s duties include acting as objective watchdog within a news organization to ensure journalistic ethics and standards are adhered to. When a rogue writer’s rampages are uncovered, the Ombudsman employs sanctions; when a news article is egregiously unfounded, the Ombudsman acts as a deterrent to minimize collateral and direct damage; and most importantly, an Ombudsman’s motivation’s are never second guessed or deemed to have ulterior motives. The moment an Ombudsman’s epicenter of strength and his fulcrum ( judgment and restraint respectively) are questioned, he no longer becomes effective or trustworthy.

Cherno Baba Jallow is nauseatingly deficient in these above-mentioned attributes but his elitist tendencies deluded him into thinking the viewing and reading public will bestow upon him the arbitrator of good journalism or muck racking as it was referred to in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He has no claim or stake hold to make classifications of what is good or bad Gambian journalism because his feeble attempts to morph as a media personality with no dog in a fight is laughable. One can sense a palpable contempt for his rivals on Mr. Jallow’s part. He does not name names but we are onto who his targets are. The fact that Mr. Jallow tries to stick it to his enemies, real or perceived, under the guise of a plea for decent penmanship ranks high in the pantheon of journalistic crimes with the shameful act of plagiarism being the ultimate sin.

The complaints filed by Cherno Jallow and his cohorts such as DA Jawo and Omar Jallow are symptomatic of dinosaurs being devoured by the unrelenting pace of modernism. Online media houses are the order of the day and even though they might have foibles and other kinks to work out, they foster a sense of information that no matter how imperfect, blunt the monopolization of news dissemination by major media outlets, journalists and tyrants alike. That is why Matt Drudge, who perfected the art of blogging and getting media scoops before everybody else, is feared and respected. Mr. Drudge has written a litany of unpleasant things about powerful figures, true and sometimes not, but he owes it to the public to provide information and does not dither and muse about  whether it has journalistic standards or not because he knows that eventually the truth is inescapable and will wriggle its way out of obfuscation.

In assaulting the nascent movement that is Gambian online media, Mr. Jallow arms himself with criteria that are totally discombobulated and lacking in empirical evidence. The message is different from the conveyor or illustrator of the said message and to equate the content of the message with the intentions of the writer or courier is to show an inherent bias against the innocent messenger no matter what. This is precisely what Mr. Jallow has perpetrated in his ad hominem tome of an essay. Is he fuming at his journalistic rival because someone in Banjul hears a rumor about government matters and decides to inform his compatriots in these United States? Is Mr. Jallow simply exhibiting a jealous trait that he can no longer control with dignity because his journalistic rivals are seen as better and more feasible broadcaster of news than himself? Only Mr. Jallow can answer the queries because unlike him, I would not make assumptions about the intentions of individuals.

In attacking his own kind, Mr. Jallow is unwittingly doing the bidding of the common enemies of all Gambian journalists, a buffoon called Yahya Jammeh. President Jammeh (and I use this term uneasily) like all wily, bloodthirsty dictators before him knows that if the shepherd is attacked, the sheep will scatter. This is a major tenet of the many laws of power. When the Dean of Gambian journalism, Deyda Hydara, was assassinated by third rate cowards and killers of the NIA, it sent shockwaves throughout the Gambia media community. Some in this close knit community closed ranks and realized the daunting task they had in front of them and decided to soldier on anyway. Others, like the "Prince" of journalistic malfeasance Bubacar Sankanu springed into action like wild hyenas, pimping and preening on the various fledgling media forums like Freedomnewspaper and Gambia Echo, not for the sake or common good of freedom  of the press in The Gambia but to exhibit their vocabulary bona fides and fulfill their self-promoting pipe dreams. Mr. Cherno Jallow unfortunately falls unde this category. His lame attempts at gravitas, his cartoonish oozing of world-weariness and pictures of him in his ill-fitting suits are the real danger to Gambian journalism. Petty squabbles between Gambian journalists who want to settle scores should be avoided as much as possible. But if disagreements abound, which is good for the evolution of speech rights, they should be germane to the advancement of the infrastructure, knowledge base and protection of journalism under siege.

Here then is the true extent of Cherno Baba Jallow's violation of journalistic ethics. Everyone knows he had daggers drawn against Pa Nderry Mbai and Freedomnewspaper in his so-called "essay". Maybe he was too sloppy in concealing the true target of his resentment or figured for the sake of not drawing too much incoming fire, it would be best to be indirect in his rantings. Opponents of Mr. Mbai's forum are totally out of sync with regards to the current state of journalism today. For one, Mr. Mbai is not only a journalist in terms Gambians are accustomed to, say like The Daily Observer or The Point. Mr. Mbai, aware of  the incessant accumulation of news and the challenges it poses to conventional media outlets has become a hybrid media creature prevalent today: one that melds the skills of a journalist and the innovation of a blogger. It is very important for readers to take note of these distinctions. To those yapping about the motivations, ethics and content of Freedomnewspaper, realize this: Freedomnnewspaper is operated as a blog. Blogs reflect news aired not only by regular papers like The New York Times, Washington Post and Time Magazine but also information from personal posters, other blogs and news releases from organizations such as presidential campaigns and the United Nations. An example of a news medium which operates within the dual universe of a regular news outlet and blogs in Politico.com. It has regular news and analysis produced by its editors and writers and has blogs operated by experts in that field. The blogs, just like Freedomnewspaper, are a free for all and have features to allow comments if readers disagree with the content. No one says the blogger is the creator of  the news reflected on his forum because they come from all sources but there are accusations made as to which sources the blogger could have chosen to post. The counter to that accusation then is the question: what criteria can be used to sift for news, who determines what is relevant or not? Doesnt the blogger have a right to determine what is newsworthy, using as much objective tools as possible in doing so?

Mr. Cherno Baba Jallow's farce of an essay negates to peer into these facts in his botched hit job on Freedomnewspaper. The fact is, Mr. Mbai is simply reflecting news from other sources on his forum in an effort to foster awareness of events in The Gambia be they good or bad and whether they embarass particular persons or not. Heck, Mr. Cherno Baba Jallow is mistaken if he thinks any journalist should pause to think about the feelings of individuals before examining the truth about their activities as it pertains to the public good. This misstep on Mr. Jallow's part goes to expose his glaring lack of journalistic discretion. Readers of Mr. Mbai's forum do not have to agree with him on issues but he should not be subject to flimsy attacks because his credibilty as a trailblazer and his bravery in the face of state sponsored thuggery ( let's not forget his family back home is not safe from Jammeh's bullying )  is above par.

It is very dangerous when a so-called journalist attempts to twist and define the tone of news coverage in his terms and lash out at those deemed not following what he or she accepts as the dogmatic rules of engagement. Mr. Cherno Baba Jallow's attempt to do so smacks of a messily executed media coup that has not gone unanswered. Like various tribes back home, the approach to many institutions and definition of values are influenced by our unique personal and collective histories. It is when one group or person starts to proclaim "it's my way or the highway" that problems of epic proportions are unleashed. Gambians of all hues, denominations, backgrounds, and aspirations should be allowed to peruse their online newspapers and blogs and make their OWN judgments as to what they like or not, comment about whether they agree about it or not and continue to live in peace. A self-defined journalist like Mr. Cherno Baba Jallow should not have stooped to the level of any ordinary reader ( term used respectfully ) and sling mud at a fellow brother in journalism.

Perhaps Mr. Jallow's true aim was to masquerade as a journalist to further satisfy his megalomaniac cravings. Perhaps Mr. Jallow does not like sharing the spotlight with an equally dogged if not more competitive rival in Pa Nderry Mbai. Perhaps Mr. Jallow is auditioning for a new lover and wants her to keep seeing his name and inane writings in print online all the time. Perhaps Mr. Jallow believes he is the true savior of Gambian journalism and we should kneel in front of him and thank him for his insight and wisdom. Perhaps Mr. Jallow believes that he so good looking in his cheap suits that we are being done a favor every time he goes online and affixes a picture of himself next to his hyperventilating articles. Perhaps Mr. Cherno Baba Jallow believes his intellectual capacity is such that his cup runneth over hence his obligation to defend those who have been defamed by Gambian online media and cannot do so themselves. Again, unlike Mr. Jallow, I wont make judgments only ask valid questions. If there is one thing I am sure of it is this: the opening shots have been fired, the battle lines have been drawn and anytime Mr. Cherno Baba Jallow salaciously embarks on a malpractice of journalism, I will be there to match him bullet for bullet, eye for an eye, and article for article.
Gambiaswatchman@gmail.com