Kenneth Best

Kenneth Y. Best (born 28 October 1938, Harrisburg, Liberia) is an African journalist, a Liberian who founded The Daily Observer in Monrovia, Liberia and subsequently a paper of the same name in Banjul, The Gambia.[1]

Best was the nephew of the Americo-Liberian and Caribbean journalist, Albert Porte.[2]

In February 1981 Best founded the Daily Observer, one of the first daily newspapers in Liberia.[3] Under the Presidency of Samuel Doe, the Daily Observer was subject to sustained political harassment.[4]

The First Liberian Civil War caused Best to relocate with his family to the Gambia.[5] There he founded Gambia's first daily newspaper, again called The Daily Observer.[5] In October 1994, following Yahya Jammeh's military coup, Best was expelled from Gambia,[3] although the newspaper was allowed to continue and is still published today.[6] He and his family moved to the United States.[1]

Best was named one of International Press Institute's 50 Heroes of World Press Freedom in 2000.[1]

Works

References

  1. ^ a b c Michael Kudlak, IPI World Press Freedom Heroes: Kenneth Best, IPI Report, June 2000
  2. ^ Carl Patrick Burrowes, Power and Press Freedom in Liberia, 1830-1970, 2004, p.108
  3. ^ a b W. Joseph Campbell, The emergent independent press in Benin and Côte d'Ivoire, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998, p.19-20
  4. ^ Paul Gifford, Christianity and Politics in Doe's Liberia, pp.26-28
  5. ^ a b Gabriel I. H. Williams, Liberia: the heart of darkness, Trafford Publishing, 2002, p.333
  6. ^ "Contact Us." The Daily Observer. Retrieved on 28 February 2009.

External links