Sierra Leone Association of Journalists expels Sylvia Blyden
Blyden
Sylvia Blyden has a medical degree from the College of Medicine at the University of Sierra Leone. Most people first heard of her via an internet cafe she operated at the Lumbley roundabout in Freetown. She started publishing her news paper Awareness Times sometime in 2005.
Her expulsion comes days after Kelvin Lewis, Editor of Awoko and Chairman of the Guild of Newspaper Editors wrote an open letter to the President of Sierra Leone asking that he take action against her for “scathing attacks on the Independent Media Commission (IMC), the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), and lately the Guild of Newspaper Editors (GNE) along with denigrating remarks on the persons of all the individuals leading these institutions”.
In response to her expulsion from SLAJ, Blyden today published a cartoon in the online edition of her paper hinting that Umaru Fofanah is pro the opposition SLPP and Maada Bio. She also argues that only 17 of 600 SLAJ members were present at her expulsion and that those who weren’t there did so partly to “boycott” the vote.
Blyden and her publication empathized with the SLPP for many years. But her tone changed dramatically with the nomination of Maada Bio as the SLPP presidential candidate. Since then she has given many pages in her paper to discredit Bio and the SLPP while attacking anyone who questions her change of tune.
It is difficult to assess any one newspaper, publisher, or editor’s influence in Sierra Leone but Blyden’s anti-SLPP switch was notable. If she gets a government appointment if the APC wins a reelection no one will be surprised. Her last word on recent issues with SLAJ and IMC are below;
“We strode past the IMC plot and we should also stride past this one and remain focused. Let’s keep our eyes on the bigger picture which is my service in journalism to the Nation at this pivotal point that PA.O.PA wants to hijack the Nation. We will talk about SLAJ shenanigans after November 17th. 🙂 ;-)”
– Sylvia Blyden
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I have lost a lot of respect for this Woman,her reporting is very subjective. I wonder what SLPP did to her to make her so bitter. I definitely will not be surprised if she gets a government post if APC wins.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH WE SALONE PEOPLE?MAADA MY FOOT WHO SAY HE WOULD EVER RULE SALONE? THIS MAN IS A SNAKE IN GREEN GRASS I FORGET TO MENTION AMARA UGLY THIS TWO SNAKES USE TO BE SO QUIET DURING THE N P R C REGIME THIS TWO SNAKES AND THE SO CALL S L P P NEED TO APOLOGIZE V E M STRASSER THATS HOW I FEEL FREEDOM OF SPEECH LOL—- WHAT THIS TWO WERE DOIN IS SICKEN TO ALL THE GUYS THAT WERE PROTECTING STRASSER THAT WHY THE CURSE AND BAD SPIRIT SHALL FOLLOW THEM TWO MAY GOD BLESSED SALONE THX U TO THE GOOD CITIZENS OF THE COUNTRY