By Sahr Ibrahim Komba
Journalists are often described as the watchdogs of society. They report on the issues that shape public opinion, uncover corruption, expose injustice, and hold those in power accountable. Through their work, citizens are informed, governments are scrutinized, and democracy is strengthened.
Yet while journalists spend their careers telling the stories of others, their own stories often remain untold.
Behind newspaper headlines, radio broadcasts, television reports, and online publications lies a difficult reality that many media practitioners in Sierra Leone face daily poor remuneration, lack of job security, unsafe working conditions, and inadequate welfare support. For many journalists, the struggle to survive has become one of the most important stories that the profession itself has failed to fully tell.
In Sierra Leone, many journalists are reluctant to publicly discuss their welfare challenges. Some fear losing their jobs, while others worry about damaging relationships with employers who control the limited opportunities available in the media industry. As the popular saying goes, “you cannot bite the finger that feeds you.”
As a result, many reporters continue to work under difficult conditions in silence.
For some journalists, coverage allowances have become a lifeline. It is not uncommon to find reporters attending multiple events in a single day in search of transport refunds or allowances that supplement their income. Some journalists are university students balancing academic responsibilities with reporting assignments. Others are full-time professionals with families to support.
In extreme cases, reporters move rapidly from one event to another, signing attendance registers and collecting information before rushing off to cover a different assignment. Such journalists have earned the nickname “Bra Spider” because they appear to be everywhere at once.
While these practices have become common, they raise important ethical questions about the state of journalism and the economic pressures confronting media practitioners.
Professional journalism is built on the principles of independence, objectivity, and integrity. Around the world, journalistic codes of ethics discourage the acceptance of gifts, favours, and financial rewards from news sources because such benefits can create real or perceived conflicts of interest.
The Media Code of Practice in Sierra Leone addresses this issue directly. Article 13, which deals with Conflict of Interest, Reward, Gratification and Professional Integrity, prohibits journalists from accepting rewards, bribes, or material gratification that could compromise their professional independence.
Similarly, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Code of Ethics urges journalists to avoid conflicts of interest and reject favours, fees, free travel, gifts, and special treatment.
The principle is straightforward: journalism must serve the public interest rather than the interests of those who provide financial incentives.
Yet for many journalists in Sierra Leone, the practical realities of survival often collide with these ethical ideals.
I experienced this dilemma firsthand when I joined Salone Times Newspaper as a cub reporter.
One day, my Managing Editor assigned me to cover an event at the Siaka Stevens Stadium Hostel. After conducting interviews and gathering information for my report, I prepared to leave the venue.
As I approached the exit, one of the event organizers asked whether I had signed out.
I replied that I had not.
“Do you want to leave your money here?” she asked.
Surprised, I explained that I was unaware of any payment arrangement.
The organizer then instructed a colleague to call me back so that I could sign my name and collect an envelope.
Confused, I asked whether the money was intended for my editor or for some other purpose.
“No,” she responded. “This is your transport fare. This is how we do things.”
When I returned to the newsroom and explained the situation to my editor, he laughed. Later, one of my colleagues advised me never to refuse money whenever I attended an event.
The experience left me with questions that continue to confront many journalists today. How does one remain faithful to professional ethics while struggling to meet basic needs? How can journalists reject allowances when their salaries are insufficient or nonexistent?
The welfare challenges facing journalists in Sierra Leone are neither isolated nor anecdotal.
A 2025 study conducted by the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) across 98 media outlets revealed significant shortcomings in journalists’ welfare nationwide.
The study found that despite provisions in the Independent Media Commission (IMC) Act 2020 requiring media institutions to pay at least the national minimum wage, remit National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) contributions, and comply with tax obligations, many media houses continue to fall short of these requirements.
The report concluded that journalists continue to face serious welfare challenges that affect both their professional performance and personal well-being. Poor remuneration, lack of social security, unsafe working conditions, weak labour protections, and inadequate support systems remain widespread across the sector.
The report recommended stronger enforcement of labour laws, full compliance with minimum wage and NASSIT requirements, improved occupational safety measures, better support for female journalists, and increased investment in journalists’ professional development and welfare.
For one experienced journalist who requested anonymity for fear of professional repercussions, the findings of the MRCG study merely confirmed what reporters have known for years.
“There is a lot going on with reporters’ welfare in this country,” the journalist said during an interview. “Many reporters work for media houses for three years or more and are considered staff members, yet they are not paid a fixed salary or provided with basic employment benefits.”
The journalist explained that despite working continuously in the media sector since 2021, employment conditions have remained largely unchanged.
“I am paid per story,” the journalist revealed. “If I don’t meet a certain target of stories within a month, I don’t receive the full amount. It is a very difficult system.”
The reporter described a work environment where journalists often finance their own reporting activities.
“You spend your own money to go out and gather news, and you are still expected to report to the office regularly,” the journalist said. “There is no transportation support, no appointment letter, and in many cases, no employment benefits.”
Even career advancement does not necessarily lead to financial improvement.
“I have been promoted from reporter to senior reporter and later to features editor, but my earnings remain very low,” the journalist explained.
For degree holders and professionals with families to support, such conditions create enormous financial pressure.
“We struggle a lot,” the journalist said. “Many reporters have families and responsibilities, yet the income is often not enough to meet basic needs.”
The welfare crisis affecting journalists today is not a new phenomenon.
In the 2016 Sierra Leone State of the Media Report, media scholar Dr. Francis Sowa examined the challenges confronting media management in Sierra Leone, focusing on sustainability, profitability, and media poverty.
Drawing on Systems Theory, Dr. Sowa argued that media institutions require adequate inputs including skilled labour, capital, equipment, and effective management systems to produce quality outputs and achieve long-term sustainability.
His study found that many media organizations suffer from poor management practices, inadequate staffing, limited capital, weak accounting systems, and insufficient equipment.
Most media houses, particularly newspapers, operate as one-man enterprises managed by journalists who simultaneously serve as owners, editors, administrators, and reporters.
The study also highlighted the concept of “media poverty,” developed by Professor Ritchard M’Bayo.
According to Professor M’Bayo, media poverty reflects a broader national condition in which economic hardship affects the media sector through inadequate resources, limited access to technology, poor remuneration, insufficient training opportunities, weak research capacity, and poor working conditions.
In essence, the poverty of the media mirrors the poverty of the wider society.
The challenges facing journalists extend beyond financial hardship.
Media practitioners are routinely assigned to cover events across the country without adequate transportation, insurance coverage, or safety protections. They often travel long distances under difficult conditions while carrying expensive equipment and working under pressure.
Some have lost valuable property while performing their duties. Others have sustained injuries while covering assignments.
In some tragic cases, journalists have lost their lives.
On May 27, 2025, senior camera operator David Williams lost his life in a fatal road accident along the Kambia Highway in northern Sierra Leone. The accident also injured SLBC Acting News Editor Ibrahim Samura.
The incident served as a painful reminder of the dangers journalists face while gathering news and informing the public.
The welfare of journalists is not merely an employment issue; it is a matter of public interest.
When journalists are poorly paid, lack social protection, and work under constant economic pressure, they become more vulnerable to unethical influences. Financial insecurity can undermine professional independence and weaken public confidence in the media.
Conversely, journalists who receive fair remuneration, adequate training, proper safety protections, and secure employment conditions are better positioned to uphold professional standards and serve the public effectively.
Media experts have long argued that strengthening journalists’ welfare is essential for improving press freedom, media independence, and the quality of journalism.
Better pay, formal contracts, pension contributions, health insurance, professional development opportunities, and safer working conditions would not only improve the lives of journalists but also strengthen the institutions they serve.
Media professionals should unite to establish cooperative media enterprises, similar to successful models in other countries. Such cooperatives would strengthen financial sustainability, promote professional development, and reduce dependence on external interests. A stronger, more independent media sector is essential for safeguarding press freedom and serving the public interest.
Every day, journalists across Sierra Leone dedicate themselves to informing citizens, exposing wrongdoing, and amplifying voices that might otherwise go unheard.
Yet many of these same journalists continue to struggle behind the headlines they produce.
The questions raised by their experiences remain urgent and unresolved: How can journalists maintain professional independence when economic survival depends on allowances and transport refunds? How can media institutions demand ethical excellence while failing to provide decent working conditions? And what responsibility do media owners, regulators, policymakers, and society have in ensuring that journalists can perform their duties with dignity?
These are uncomfortable questions, but they deserve honest discussion.
If Sierra Leone expects its journalists to remain ethical, independent, and professional, then the country must also confront the economic realities that make ethical journalism increasingly difficult.
After all, the credibility of the media depends not only on the integrity of journalists but also on the conditions under which they work.
The story of the journalist is rarely told. Yet until these challenges are addressed, it will remain one of the most important stories in Sierra Leone’s media landscape.
