DEBUNKING ALAGI YORRO JALLOW’S LIES — PART ONE

This newspaper would not ordinarily dignify the allegations of a third-rate journalist and a third-rate media house with a response. However, in the interest of our readers, there are times when it becomes necessary to set the record straight.

Alagi Yorro Jallow has repeatedly made allegations against the Daily Observer, and his latest claims deserve a response.

The first allegation is that the Daily Observer published his articles without his consent. This is simply untrue. On the contrary, Jallow personally submitted articles to our editors through Facebook Messenger and repeatedly requested editorial support. We have numerous screenshots documenting these submissions and exchanges. His attempt to portray the Daily Observer as a company that used his articles without his consent is contradicted by his own correspondence.

The second allegation is that the Daily Observer used the name of Chilel Sarr, publisher of Lingeure Magazine, without her consent.

As we explained in a previous editorial, several Gambians were accorded honorary titles in recognition of their contributions to the newspaper during its early stages.

Our relationship with Chilel Sarr began after we published an editorial that she shared on her Facebook page. We subsequently wrote to thank her. Thereafter, she occasionally shared her stories across various platforms, including the Daily Observer. Sometimes, we also took stories from her page and shared them on ours. Anyone with a background in journalism knows what news culling means.

The third allegation concerns Assan Sallah. Jallow claimed that the Daily Observer used Sallah’s name in a book’s foreword without his consent.

Interestingly, the same book he refers to was the subject of a story published by Assan Sallah himself. Furthermore, Sallah had received the complete manuscript before the book was officially published.

Even more remarkably, Gambiana, the online newspaper that carried Jallow’s allegations, was the same publication that had previously serialized the book he now questions. So why would an editor worth his salt allow a supposedly fake book to be serialized chapter by chapter?

Of all these allegations, what is even more laughable is Jallow’s claim that he was never associated with the Daily Observer. Yet the screenshots are here for everyone to see.

We have no problem with another newspaper using the Daily Observer’s name to attract readers and followers. If reporting about us helps improve their ratings, we are happy to provide them with an audience. After all, everyone needs to put bread on the table, and we certainly would not want anyone to starve.

But surely, a serious editor should know better than to publish one side of a story without seeking a response from those being accused.

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