Renowned human rights lawyer and press freedom advocate, Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, has issued a passionate call for responsible and ethical journalism in Liberia, urging media practitioners to harness the power of technology—particularly artificial intelligence (AI)—to expose truth and serve the public interest, not to spread hate or misinformation.
Speaking at the official program marking World Press Freedom Day 2025 at the Monrovia City Hall, Gongloe, an Assistant Professor of Law at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia, delivered a keynote address on the theme “Sustaining Independent Journalism and Press Freedom in the Digital Age.”
Reflecting on his 36-year legal career in defense of media rights, Gongloe recounted his work defending journalists in police stations, courtrooms, and through public advocacy—often at personal risk. Most notably, he recalled his tenure as Solicitor General of Liberia in 2009, when he chose not to enforce the country’s repressive speech laws.
“I made a conscious decision not to use Liberia’s anti-speech laws—sedition, criminal malevolence, and criminal libel against the President—to silence journalists,” he told a packed hall of media professionals, civil society actors, and government officials. “Instead, I drafted the legislation that would later become the Kamara A. Kamara Act of Press Freedom, repealing those oppressive laws.”
Gongloe stressed that press freedom is not a weapon, but a tool that must be exercised responsibly and ethically, especially in the digital age.
Citing global investigative breakthroughs like the Panama Papers and the BBC Africa Eye’s Sex for Grades exposé, Gongloe highlighted how AI has revolutionized investigative journalism. “Imagine journalists here using similar tools to trace how public funds meant for clinics in Grand Kru or schools in Bong mysteriously vanish. That’s the power of AI when used in the public interest,” he said.
He urged Liberian media institutions to invest in AI training to strengthen accountability and boost reporting standards.
Yet Gongloe did not shy away from addressing the dangers of AI misuse. He warned of the potential for AI-driven disinformation, hate speech, and surveillance, citing examples from Myanmar, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and recent Pegasus spyware allegations in India.
“In Liberia, if we don’t control how hate speech and fake news spread through our media platforms, we risk lighting fires we cannot put out,” he cautioned. “Surveillance without restriction is not security—it is censorship.”
Gongloe also addressed the risks of AI in elections, referencing fake videos, or “deepfakes”, that have destabilized societies elsewhere. “One fake video could inflame ethnic tensions or derail a peaceful election,” he warned.
He emphasized that press freedom must be anchored in truth and responsibility. “Freedom of the press is not freedom from responsibility,” he said, pointing to lawsuits in the U.S. over defamatory reporting as a cautionary tale.
Gongloe recommended that the Press Union of Liberia and the broader media community train journalists in AI and digital tools to not just compete but to lead in investigative reporting. He also called for the establishment of ethical standards for technology use to ensure that truth remains the highest goal. Furthermore, he urged journalists to uphold self-regulation with integrity, warning that journalists must police themselves before others are forced to do so.
With passion, he called on journalists to recommit to journalism that unites rather than divides. “Journalism must be used to bring light to corruption, not confusion to the people,” he urged. “It must promote the building of clinics, classrooms, and trust—not fear, hatred, and doubt.”
In closing, he reminded the audience that press freedom is a constitutional right, not a favor from the government. “It is the right of the people to know the truth, as guaranteed by Article 15(c) of the Constitution of Liberia,” he affirmed.
The 2025 World Press Freedom Day observance, held under the global theme “Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media,” offered Liberian journalists a sobering warning—and a clear roadmap for navigating the evolving media landscape.
