The attention of the Ministry of Information has been drawn to a recent post by the Kerr Fatou Media about a particular remark His Excellency President Adama Barrow made during his recently concluded tour of industries and farms across the country.
In this particular speech which was in the Mandinka language, President Barrow only made a joking statement about the standard of political bureaus that look more like small corner shops (‘Boutique Narr’) which with time, those supposed bureaus will be turned into real corner shops.
This does not in any way mean that the President was referring to anyone’s background or origin.
However, it was Kerr Fatou online media that gave a completely different and opinionated meaning to an otherwise innocent statement of the President, with a banner headline titled “President Hints at a Future Narr Leader: An Implicit Nod to Mayor Bensouda’s Background”.
Making such misleading and dangerous inferences from such political statements is disingenuous and poses significant risks to social cohesion and national stability. False reporting can incite tension and violence, which is detrimental to the peace and unity we strive to maintain in the country.
The government remains committed to transparency and open communication with the public.
While the Government appreciates the role of the media in society, journalists are encouraged to be responsible and factual in their reporting at all times and be sensitive to the impact of their reports on national security.
