Media and state governance in a post-conflict society: The case of Sierra Leone

Abstract

Sierra Leone, a country of about six million people, holds an unflattering record of a ten-year civil war in the dawn of the new millennium. Since the war ended in 2002, the country has been preoccupied with reconstituting political order to a transitional democratic state. One of the significant indicators of success in this societal transformation is how the media have interacted with the state. This study assessed the political role performance of the media in a post-conflict society through a qualitative content analysis of Sierra Leonean newspapers and online media portals. The study then developed a typology that categorised the various media in Sierra Leone according to key attributes of the media and journalistic performance in the country.