Is Cherno Baba Pompous or Jealous?

By Sidia Drammeh

Johnson & Wales University

I wish to point out something with regard to an essay written by Cherno Baba Jallow on the Gainako online forum. Usually, I don't bother immersing myself in such arguments but this one particularly caught my attention simply because of the nomenclature of its setting and, of course subject.

Two things are especially worth mentioning in reacting to this article which are the fact that Cherno's tone smacks of an aggrieved individual, and the fact that he let loose the untruth in his attempt to paint others untruthful. It's prudent to stress that Cherno was very unrealistic when he made the Edward Singhateh story as an illustration on untruthful stories. On what he based that argument, is what I'm still unable to fathom since I read his article. Because, as far as I'm concerned, as a reader of all the online papers, I believe the issue of Edward becoming Speaker had been overtaken by events, hence Cherno's illustration not only belated but bears the coloration of malice. He cannot tell us he had not read the story on Suku Singhateh where the issue of him campaigning for Edward becoming Speaker was comprehensively and adequately addressed. If Cherno's outrage is not motivated by malice, why didn't he acknowledge the fact that it was the same Echo (Newspaper) that published about the sacking of Edward Singhateh and even mentioned his successor about a week before Yahya Jammeh announced the sacking? What about the Saja Taal story? And yet more the latest Cabinet reshuffle? I belief ignoring all these facts is not only unfair but outrageously malicious and jealous on his side.

Then why should Cherno, someone claiming to teach others journalism, distort facts and refer to that matter as if there had been no sequential follow-up to it? He cannot just choose to ignore that so sacrosanct fact when he claims to be teaching others about truths while painting them as lairs, too-little educated, not-up-to-date-with-facts-back-home, malicious and unqualified to do the job. Yet he lies blatantly in his arguments. This is why I started by stating that Cherno indeed lied while attempting to portray others so. This is indeed intellectual dishonesty if not some bland attempt for cheap attention. I definitely suspect Cherno is working hard on trying to impress some forces somewhere. But, I strictly advice him to be watchful in impressing the tyrannical order back home. Unleashing an unnecessary and baseless attack on those who are not only informing us of what the dictator prevents us from knowing, but fighting for the restoration of sanity in our country, is something that Cherno might have decided to do for some motives. It will be clear sooner than later. Some Gambians can be dangerous and it's important to keenly watch where Cherno is heading to very keenly from now on.

On the issue of subjectivity, why is Cherno so interested in a story because it matters someone of relation or origin with him? If what he said is anything to go by, why now? Why didn't he comment on stories with similar dimension that had been flashing in the online media for sometime? Lest he tells us he was happy about those and enjoyed them. If not, he must explain why he chose to be concerned about this one alone. That is not journalism.

This is the same Cherno who, some eight years ago, wrote a similar piece to the Editors of The Independent Newspaper accusing them of being soft on the dictatorship hence the need to keep battering at it. He argued that he had sensed an editorial-policy slant, which he pointed out, was a betrayal of the cause to 'fight the dictatorship'. I can vividly well remember how he angered the editors of that paper who saw his gibberish article as an insult to their efforts and struggle especially, coming from some character hibernating somewhere in the USA - away from the heat. And, this is the same Cherno today, insulting every Gambian journalist for doing what he had urged The Independent to do. This is why I suspect that this guy is working on impressing someone or some people somewhere. He is being very dishonest about the whole ramble.

I wish to state that, even though I am not a practicing journalist, I am a fully trained one. I just wonder why Cherno is claiming to be an authority in an area he might not even know well. All I think the journalists need to do is to take their time and improve on their English and news presentation standards on some stories as well as avoid being personal about some things, especially when unnecessary things come by the way. And of course the adjectives. Kill them! Please do. I want to be honest here because adjectives are the worst enemies of a journalist. They are like weed in a farmland. You can write the story and later write an opinion/editorial about the same piece. The whole media fraternity in the country and of course in some other countries is guilty of this. I suspect this is an issue D.A. Jawo wanted to delve on when he reacted on the Cherno article. But, that's not even as bad as Cherno's blatant obnoxious writings. He is just not a good writer. Knowing how to make your subject and predicate agree in a sentence isn't even a beginner for writing. Let him stop opening a dictionary and forcefully placing words were they might not be necessary. I have been noticing this in most of his writings. Every professor will tell you this is the worst form of writing. George Orwell made the point. But, this guy is not only using big words unnecessarily, but also forcefully using them. There is no doubt that he will be unable to define some of the words when one randomly asks him about their definition. This is what I call 'Forceful Writers'. What has Cherno got to teach journalists when he is himself violating the basic rules of the profession which of course is the need to be understandable by not only readers who have dictionaries by their sides, but even the kids in Primary School? I feel insulted when I see him write because I know, with some bowing tendencies of some of our people, they would begin praising him as a good writer or what? Is it great journalist?

Cherno should also be careful to avoid casting a question at his integrity. I have read a couple of articles on the online papers since his outburst, accusing him of using some Louis Friend or other nebulous and fictitious names, attacking people from every direction. I cannot authenticate that but I cannot deny it too. You remember this was the same Louis Friend who dispatched an article rating the online papers and giving similar arguments as Cherno? He even rated Gainako online the best, a blog that has no single journalist working with it and has no journalistic pattern, setting or dimension. I used to have a professor who used to say that untruths are the hardest things to live with. One day, one way or the other, they would be revealed. Perhaps Cherno didn't think people could reflect on some of these things when he decided to come openly with his outlandish fight. There is nothing wrong in owning a pseudonym. But, when one connects between Louis and Cherno and sees how outrageous that guy is, then it is necessary to be scared and watchful of the latter if it turns out that he is indeed the former. Their level of jealousy if not malice is a course for concern.