By Joseph Turay
As Sierra Leone pursues a long‑term media reform agenda, key systemic problems persist, including weak financial structures in news organisations and the controversial use of digital laws against journalists and citizens, media experts say.
A 2025 study shows most media houses in Sierra Leone were established as one‑person businesses, often without dedicated financial managers or accountants, leaving editorial leaders to manage finances and eroding essential checks and balances. Less than 20 per cent of outlets surveyed have a finance specialist, raising concerns about accountability, sustainability and professionalisation of the press sector.
“The economic viability and sustainability of the media in Sierra Leone are increasingly concerning,” said a media reform advocate in Freetown, highlighting the link between poor financial management and reduced capacity to withstand political or legal pressures.
At the same time, the Cyber Security and Crime Act, enacted in 2021 to address online fraud and cyber threats, has been used in ways that critics say threaten freedom of expression. Journalists and prominent citizens have been questioned, detained or faced legal action under cyber‑related provisions, often after reporting on corruption, mismanagement or powerful interests. 
In one high‑profile case, Thomas Dixon, editor of the New Age newspaper and chairman of the Guild of Newspaper Editors, was summoned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and interrogated for hours under allegations of cyberbullying and stalking linked to investigative reporting. He was released on bail, but the incident alarmed press freedom advocates who warned that ambiguous cybercrime provisions are being used to intimidate independent media. 
Similarly, Shar Maturi, a senior reporter, was briefly detained in 2025 over a report alleging misappropriation of public funds involving a lawmaker and local official. He was released after intervention by media associations. 
Critics say the law’s broad language allows both the state and private interests — including politicians, corporations and influential individuals — to pursue journalists and citizens for critical reporting or commentary under criminal cyber offences, discouraging investigative coverage and civic debate. 
Civil society groups, including the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), have repeatedly called for clarification and reform of problematic sections of the cyber law, arguing that it should not criminalise legitimate reporting or discourage citizens from expressing dissent online. Without reform, analysts warn, the law could undermine hard‑won democratic gains such as the repeal of criminal libel and other protections for free expression. 
“As digital expression becomes more central to civic life, weak financial foundations in media and the misuse of cybersecurity legislation risk shrinking the space for accountability journalism,” said an independent media expert.
