In Liberia, almost a dozen new publications have emerged since Charles Taylor’s exile in August. The Liberian press, however, still faces numerous obstacles in the form of paper shortages, lack of advertising and distribution problems.

Under the Taylor regime, a number of Liberian publications employed self-censorship, and many journalists were forced to flee the country. When full-scale fighting broke out last spring between the rebels and Taylor’s forces, many more became victims of violence and intimidation. The upheaval of the war was reflected in the industry, for example, the country’s main printing press was closed down for three months.

Crispin Tulay, news editor for "The Independent" newspaper, based in Monrovia, spoke to RAP 21 of the changes in Liberia’s newspaper industry in the wake of Taylor’s departure.

The newspaper became a direct victim of the conflict in June, when its offices were looted, causing the paper to lose all of its electronic equipment. It was also forced to shut down its online version. Today, however, there are signs of improvement, both in the independent media’s relations with the current government, and conditions on the ground.

"This is a new beginning for independent media. Because of the recent events in Liberia, I don’t think the government will be able to muzzle the press like before, even if it tried. The independent media won’t take it kindly, nor will they sit back and let it happen," says Tulay.

"Strictly speaking, freedom of expression has improved since Taylor’s departure. For now, things are O.K. The interim president, Gyude Bryant, seems very accepting of the media. So too is the Ministry of Information - today there are a number of journalists in the Ministry and the Minister of Information was at one time a practicing journalist," he notes.

The exit of Taylor and the entrance of the interim, power-sharing government has also led to a shift in conditions on the ground. "More and more newspapers are appearing, mostly in the capital. About ten new publications have appeared since the end of the war, the majority of them weeklies. Distribution is still a problem outside Monrovia, as rebels are remain in control of large parts of the country," says the news editor.

"Our staff is small but efficient, boasting a total of 15 technical and editorial members. The newspaper didn’t lose anybody in the wake of the three months when the printing plant was closed, but the closure, combined with the theft of our equipment, has forced us to reduce staff salaries. We are all trying to adjust to recovering after the war, and it takes time," Tulay says.

The war has also had a lasting impact on circulation. Pre-war levels of "The Independent", fluctuated between 3,000 and 5,000 copies per week. Today, circulation has dropped to 1,000. The emergence of additional competitors has also influenced the drop in numbers, but Tulay welcomes the competition: "People are excited by the increase in options, of the variety in newspapers."

"The Independent" has a number of strategies to boost the paper’s circulation. "Most of the new publications are weekly, so we are hoping to increase production to twice per week to capture that part of the market. We have also started running a weekly health column as well as one that is dedicated to the activities of NGOs that are helping the everyday lives of ordinary Liberians," Tulay says.

Among the biggest challenges is the lack of printing facilities. One single printing press serves all the publications in the capital, which slows down production, and leads to delays. This dependency could soon be alleviated, however, as a former government official has plans to start up another printing press in the near future.

Another ongoing problem is paper supply. "The printing plant often runs out of paper. The manager of the printing press is having problems getting supplies to Liberia as ships are reluctant to come," says Tulay. As this is the largest, and cheapest form of transportation, the consequences are significant.

The biggest day-to-day challenge of running a newspaper in Liberia today, however, remains the lack of an advertising market. "Liberia is still considered to be a war zone, so no new businesses are coming in. Today our biggest advertiser is probably the United Nations as they run many ads for vacancies and for their programmes, such as disarmament. Before the war, the government was the industry’s biggest advertiser. It had its own downside, as the government would often withhold advertising from newspapers that criticised the regime. I don’t think this will be a problem with the new government, but on the otherhand it has not yet started operating as an advertiser," he says.