By Molefa Touray
Thousands of viewers at home and abroad were thrown into a major shock when Sheriff Junior, the president of Gambia Press Union verbally assaulted Lamin Njie, the editor of Fatu Network. The assault happened on a Facebook live video coverage when Lamin Njie appeared to ask the G.P.U president about his take on the outcome of the Kumba Jaiteh case before the Supreme Court.The award-winning journalist snapped and rained insults on the innocent reporter. Sheriff junior even went as far as telling the reporter to “fucking put the mic down”. The profanity laden video went viral with over twenty thousand viewers watching and many more sharing it on whatsapp .
Apologizing on his Facebook page sheriff junior wrote: “A video showing me snapping at Lamin Njie, a journalist with Fatu Network has been going viral on Facebook since early this afternoon. In the video, I got frustrated after he insisted on interviewing me about the Supreme Court ruling on Ya Kumba Jaiteh’s case earlier today, and I used profanity.From the bottom of my heart, I take full responsibility for my behavior and I want to unreservedly apologise to Mr. Njie and the management and staff of Fatu Network for my behavior”
Reacting to Sheriff Junior’s viral video Matthew K. Jallow, a Gambian writer and social critic wrote: “I find a rather disturbing video circulating in social media where the president of the Gambia Press Union, Sheriff Bojang Jr. used curse words in reaction to a journalist seeking his views on a salient subject matter. This is a serious breach of GPU’s unwritten moral & ethical codes. I think it’s in order for the GPU Executive to meet and censor Mr Bojang, and to ask him to desist from such very disrespectful behavior, as it will tarnish the good name of the GPU as a body”.
Also reacting to Sheriff junior tirade against a fellow journalist, Sainey Darboe the editor of Gunjur News Online called for the resignation of Sherriff junior as he has lost all moral grounding to lead the press body after attacking the very people, he is elected into office to protect. “The profanity-laden assault on Fatu Network editor, Lamin Njie, by no less than the president of Gambian journalists, Sheriff Bojang, defies conceptual grasp. To have a GPU president who didn’t have qualms about launching a vitriolic attack on a fellow journalist, memorialized in a viral video, is nothing short of an insult to the memories of slain Gambian journalists like Deyda Hydara and Chief Manneh.”
The furious former Editor-in-Chief of Standard newspaper- Gambia called for the resignation of Sheriff junior as GPU president: “And let me put it better: If he cannot conduct himself with decorum at the point of supreme challenge he doesn’t deserve to represent Gambian journalists. It is high time for Gambian journalists to put an end to his presidency because he has dishonored the position and profession by his contempt of all journalistic ethics and basic human decency.”
