The Commission received a complaint on 29th May 2026 from Mr. Mohamed M. Kamara, Principal of Wesleyan Church Sierra Leone Secondary School (WCSL), Kambia, against Mr. Charles F. Davies, writer for Exclusive Newspaper, concerning a publication dated 29th May 2026 titled: “Kambia Wesleyan Church Sierra Leone Secondary School Board Chair Clarifies Misinformation.”
The Complaints Committee conducted two hearing on the matter.
At the first hearing, the Managing Editor of Exclusive Newspaper appeared before the Committee. However, the Committee directed that the writer of the story, Mr. Charles F. Davies, be summoned to personally respond to the allegations contained in the publication.
The second hearing was held on 21st July 2026, during which both the Complainant and the Respondent appeared before the Committee.
Complainant’s Case
Mr. Mohamed M. Kamara stated that the publication was false, baseless, malicious, and intended to damage the reputation he had built over the years.
He informed the Committee that while attending a press conference in Makeni, he received a call from his wife informing him that a journalist from Exclusive Newspaper wanted to interview him regarding allegations published about the Wesleyan Church Sierra Leone Secondary School.
According to the publication, the allegations included that:
- Mr. Mohamed Morlai Kamara was not the Principal of Wesleyan Church Sierra Leone Secondary School.
- The public should not communicate with him on behalf of the Church or the School.
- He lacked transparency.
- He had failed to account for subsidies allegedly received on behalf of the School and the Church.
The Complainant stated that he immediately instructed his wife to provide the journalist with his telephone number so that he could respond to the allegations before publication.
However, he maintained that the journalist failed to contact him to verify the allegations and proceeded to publish the story. He further stated that it was only after publication that the journalist contacted him for his side of the story, which he declined because the article had already been published and circulated.
Mr. Mohamed Morlai Kamara reiterated that he had never engaged in any corrupt activity and explained that he sometimes used his personal resources to support activities of both the School and the Church.
He further informed the Committee that he receives Six Thousand Leones (Le 6,000) per school term as subsidy for the administration of the school.
Respondent’s Case
Responding to the complaint, Mr. Charles F. Davies stated that he stood by the publication and denied manufacturing the story. He informed the Committee that the information was provided by Mr. Mohamed Kamara (CHO), who also serves as an Assistant Pastor of the Church.
According to the Respondent, after receiving the information, he travelled to Kambia and spent three days investigating the matter. He stated that he visited the Complainant’s residence seeking an interview but was informed by the Complainant’s wife that he was not at home. He said she subsequently gave him the Complainant’s telephone number.
The Respondent further submitted that he made several attempts to contact the Complainant before publication, but the Complainant allegedly declined his calls whenever the issue concerning the Wesleyan Church Sierra Leone Secondary School was mentioned.
He added that when he eventually spoke to the Complainant and raised the matter, the Complainant became angry and told him to publish the story, which he interpreted as a refusal to comment. He therefore proceeded with publication.
When questioned by the Committee on whether he had contacted the Complainant before publication, he maintained that he had done so but that the Complainant refused to engage on the issue.
The Committee further asked the Respondent whether he had any evidence to support the allegations relating to the Complainant’s position as Principal and the alleged misuse of school subsidies.
In response, Mr. Davies stated that he relied on information provided by Mr. Mohamed Kamara (CHO) and on a handwritten document, which he submitted to the Committee. The document, however, did not bear any official letterhead.
When asked again whether he still stood by the publication, the Respondent answered in the affirmative.
Committee’s Findings
After considering the evidence and submissions of both parties, the Committee found that:
- The publication contained inaccurate information.
- The Respondent, Mr. Charles F. Davies, failed to adequately cross-check and verify the allegations before publishing the story.
- The Respondent relied primarily on information supplied by a third party and on an unsigned handwritten document without official identification, which did not sufficiently substantiate the serious allegations made against the Complainant.
The Committee finds that the publication failed to meet the required standards of accuracy, fairness, and responsible journalism, as the allegations were not sufficiently verified before publication, as provided for in Regulations 5(1)(a) of the Print and Electronic Media Regulations 2022.
Ruling
The Independent Media Commission at its meeting held on 27th July 2026, ratified the recommendation of the Complaints Committee in line with Section 19(6) of the IMC Act 2020, as follows:
- Mr. Charles F. Davies shall publish a retraction with equal prominence to the original publication.
- Mr. Charles F. Davies shall publish an unreserved apology to the Complainant.
- Mr. Charles F. Davies shall write a formal letter of apology to the Principal of Wesleyan Church Sierra Leone Secondary School and submit a copy of the letter to the Independent Media Commission
