London : In a novel approach to disseminate news, a Liberian newspaper is being produced on blackboards instead of publishing the news items in the traditional way.
The handwritten paper — The Daily Talk — is the brainchild of Alfred Sirleaf, a journalist who wanted to get daily news and information to citizens in Liberia who cannot afford a TV or radio, The Sun reported.
Every morning he goes into a shack which he describes as his “newsroom” and neatly writes the latest stories in chalk on blackboards to share it with readers. To collect news items, Alfred has to scrutinise different newspapers, TV, radio and internet and select the most important developments.
takes hours to complete this meticulous process. Alfred’s service has been a vital source of information in Liberia’s capital Monrovia ever since the first edition in 2000 in the midst of a bloody 14-year civil war.
A few months after he started the newspaper, it was burnt down because the government did not like the criticism that Alfred had chalked about Charles Taylor, the 22nd President of Liberia. In fact things got so bad, that Sirleaf was even put in jail for a short time and then exiled for a few years.
However, the determined man returned in 2005 and re-established his popular newspaper. Sirleaf writes up his succinct reports on the panels of his blackboard in a meticulous hand. “I try to write it really clear and simple so people can read it far away, even if they are driving by,” he explained.
As well as the news headlines, the Daily Talk also features politics, sports and even pictures — stuck on blackboards. It also has a “letters” page, where readers write their own messages on to the board throughout the day. —IANS
