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Monrovia: Revered broadcaster Patrick Honnah has termed as false and misleading rumors making the rounds that he has accepted a government post in the George Weah administration.
In many quarters in the capital Monrovia, and its environs, rumours are rife of Honnah’s call-up to government, while it continues to trend on social media, with varying accounts including how the award-winning broadcast journalist has reportedly been picked as President Weah’s new press secretary, replacing Sam Mannah, who the Liberian leader recently transferred from his presidential press secretary post to the National Insurance Corporation of Liberia (NICOL) as that entity’s deputy managing director for administration.
In a Facebook post Monday, ruling party startwart and Montserrado County district #8 lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Acarous Moses Gray insinuated that vocal Liberian journalist Honnah, the immediate former deputy director general of media services of state radio, had been placed in a post that would silence him from being critical on excesses of the regime.
Although Rep Gray did not definitively state that Honnah was being assigned to a government post, the Montserrado County lawmaker’s social media assertions generated concerns and triggered countless comments, with many speculating that the ace broadcaster had allegedly been approached by the Weah-led government to serve as press secretary to the president.
But Honnah, who won the 2010-2011 National Excellence Award for Best Media Practitioner, told Punch FM/TV online service that there is no iota of truth in the rumours of his call-up to public service, adding that even though he is not opposed to serving his country in a government post, his focus at the moment is on making positive contributions in the private sector.
The communicative and celebrated talk radio presenter emphatically said that at no time has he been approached by anyone in government regarding taking up a job in the administration, stating that even if this was to be done, he would decline at this time.
Punch FM/TV onlive service recalls that during the campaign period of the country’s recent past presidential election, while playing his watchdog role during couple of talk show presentations, Honnah candidly pointed out the pitfalls ahead of Liberia, had Weah been elected president. Since then, many partisans of Weah’s Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and supporters of the former footballer turned politician consider Honnah as their foe.
In January of 2018, having met all requirements under the laws of Liberia to operate, Honnah’s media institution, the One Media Incorporated was cleared by government, and issued broadcast license and permit, but five months later the Weah administration prevented the station from coming on air, citing a one-month review of the country’s media sector as its basis.
But several months has elapsed and the government is yet to lift the ban on Honnah’s institution, neither has it breathed a word to the public as to what the reasons are for the prolongation in the process of reviewing the media landscape in the country.
Honnah, with a double master’s degree along with several credentials in journalism, including a diploma in TV/Radio Interviewing Techniques, sponsored by the China TV/Radio, started off as a journalist from a very humble beginning; as Cub-reporter at the Catholic-owned Radio Veritas – then in 2003, and later moved on to POWER FM/TV owned by acclaimed Liberian journalist Aaron Kollie.
At POWER FM/TV, Patrick’s nose for the news coupled with his critical interview method made him perceptible among his media colleagues as one of the best. With such qualities, it took no time for his news outlet to have officially assigned him at Liberia’s Executive Mansion, as POWER FM/TV’s correspondent at the presidency. Just two years with POWER FM/TV, Patrick, in search of greener pasture in 2005, moved on to the communication conglomerate, the Renaissance Communications Incorporated (RCI), where again he flew up the ladder of promotion as if a whirlwind was propelling him. He was retained as Executive Mansion correspondent, working extensively in giving coverage both to the erstwhile National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) of fallen businessman Charles Gyude Bryant and the early stages of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s administration.
At RCI, he later ascended to the position of Deputy Managing Director, and went on to take up the lead-presenter role of arguably the nation’s premium early morning radio talk show those days – the Truth Breakfast Show (TBS); doing remarkably well, and sooner than later, he became a darling of the radio to many – focusing on the substantives while interspersing same with a bit of humor and still not being and/or sounding trivial, was and is still his specialty, that back then and to date, sweeps almost all of his thousands of listeners off their feet to keep singing his praises as one of Liberia’s best behind the microphone.
Punch FM/TV online service understands that to better get to know Honnah, give him a microphone and a broadcast facility, and you’ll get the best in interviewing techniques and quality broadcast that would make politicians, religious people, students, businesspeople, and just anybody to listen.
In 2010-2011, he won the National Excellence Award for Best Media Practitioner. A year after, the authorized dealer of the world-class vehicles, “Land Rover and Range Rover” in Liberia, announced Patrick, as one of two of “RMA Brand Ambassadors.” In that same year, not only that his many fans saw him as a fountain of potential, but the President of Liberia too, had seen in him a mammoth worth of qualities, when ex-president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appointed him to his first government post, as Deputy Director General for Rural Broadcasting at the state-run LBS – two years later, on 16 November 2014; President Johnson-Sirleaf promoted Patrick to the post of Deputy Director General for Media Services at LBS, with the veteran broadcaster splendidly serving in both capacities with utmost dedication .
