A peaceful protest by workers of the Liberia News Agency (LINA) on Thursday was sparked by a question previously raised by a LINA reporter during a regular Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) press briefing, which angered the information minister and prompted an inquiry that reopened long-simmering concerns about the agency’s budget and operational decline.
The question, posed publicly at the MICAT briefing, sought clarity on the status and utilization of budgetary allocations made to LINA for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. According to the workers, the response, or lack thereof, prompted renewed scrutiny and ultimately led staff to formally petition the Legislature for intervention.
Gathering at the Ministry of Information, concerned LINA employees submitted a petition to the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Information, Broadcasting, and Communications, calling for an urgent review of the agency’s finances and management.
The petition, read by LINA reporter Dorcas Gboerreh-Boe , stated that despite budgetary allocations totaling more than US$700,000 over the past two years, the state-owned news agency has remained largely stagnant, with little to show in terms of operational improvement.
“LINA has been unable to effectively function for nearly two years due to a lack of basic resources, even though funds were appropriated for the agency,” the petition noted.
Workers cited multiple challenges, including the prolonged shutdown of the agency’s official website, lack of essential newsroom equipment, absence of training opportunities, and poor staff welfare. The website, considered critical to LINA’s national and international news dissemination mandate, has reportedly been non-functional for nearly two years.
The petitioners further alleged that funds earmarked for LINA have not been used for their intended purposes and called on lawmakers to demand accountability.
“We urgently seek clarification on the status of these funds and respectfully request your intervention to ensure they are used as approved by the Legislature,” the workers stated.
Speaking on a local talk show, host Regan S. Lebbie echoed the workers’ concerns, describing the newsroom as severely under-resourced, with staff reportedly working mid-shift without chairs, basic equipment, or functional gadgets. He contrasted this with what he described as extensive renovations carried out at the Ministry, while LINA’s newsroom remains in a deplorable condition.
Workers stressed that they are civil servants performing their duties under an editorial mandate and should not be blamed for actions or policies of past administrations.
“All we want is to do our jobs and not be dragged into the politics of old and new,” one worker said, calling on Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah to refrain from making generalized statements that portray LINA employees as collaborators of previous regimes.
The petition concluded with a demand for the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct a full audit of all budgetary transfers made to LINA for 2024 and 2025.
In a separate phone-in interview, journalist P. Vangerline Kpotoe alleged that the agency’s budget is being administered independently by the Minister of Information, leaving employees to struggle while continuing to propagate government messages.
“We cannot be using our meager salaries to do government work when there is a budget for that purpose,” Kpotoe said. “For the past two years, LINA employees have stopped receiving even basic tools; recorders, notepads, pens, items essential to our work.”
She further noted that staff continue to operate with outdated equipment, limited training, and insufficient logistical support, making it increasingly difficult to fulfill the agency’s mandate.
Kpotoe emphasized that LINA is a semi-autonomous institution with its own management structure, including a Director-General , Deputy Director-General for Administration, Assistant Director for Editorial Services, Editor-in-Chief, editors, senior reporters, and reporters, and maintains a separate bank account from the Ministry of Information.
“If LINA does not have its own operational budget, why is it not structured like the Public Affairs Department?” she questioned. “Are we being told that LINA staff do not deserve the budgetary allocations approved annually for the agency?”
Efforts to reach Minister Piah remains futile as his office staff said he was out. Our Reporter has pledged to make follow-up.
Established in 1978, the Liberia News Agency is Liberia’s state-owned news institution, mandated to collect, process, and disseminate news and information locally and internationally. Over the years, debates over its autonomy, editorial independence, and leadership stability have persisted, often intensifying during transitions in government.
Despite its challenges, LINA remains a central pillar of Liberia’s media landscape. Workers say their protest is not political, but a call for transparency, accountability, and the restoration of the agency’s capacity to serve the public effectively.
In anticipation of lawmakers’ actions on petition upon their return, LINA staff say they are determined to press for answers, and for the resources they believe are rightfully theirs, to fulfill the agency’s mandate to inform the Liberian public.
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