Bad Bedfellows and corruption of Journalism

Is Hiiranonline sleeping with the TFG, or it is a hearsay?

Just like many of you, we at WardheerNews have learned recently the attached confidential letter, signed by Sheikh Sharif, is believed to be a directive to hire Hiraanonline's Ahmed Gure, so that he could serve at the pleasure of the Sharif-led Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.  This directive, which is intentionally kept vague in terms of who is hired (Gure or the Website), is tantamount to a significant coup on the part of Sheikh Sherif's government and its dealings with the Diaspora community. 

If this letter, which purportedly established presidential authority to hire Ahmed Gure and his service, is authentic (we say authentic, because there is a non-committal, or weak disclaimer from the government of Sheikh Sharif alleging that the letter was a forgery document doctored by the TFG archrival, the Al-Shabab), then it is an unprecedented move by a Somali state to try to control for the first time what our people in the Diaspora, in the land of free, read and write. This move is tantamount to Siyyadism all over again.

Contrary to the disclaimer of the Sharif government’s media directorate, many, who are knowledgeable about the inner circle of the Sharif government, believe that the letter is drafted and prepared by the government’s Media group.  The events surrounding the said letter is only the culmination of many previous endeavors the Sharif government has been working for some time now.

To that end, WardheerNews has learned from reliable sources that prior to this letter’s surfacing, Islamic Courts Union turkeys, who went to Mogadishu to work alongside with the Sharif government (most of these individuals are members of the Islamic Courts Union’s Diaspora chapter), have been writing Hiiranonline's occasional and infrequent editorial pieces lately from Villa Somalia’s dungeon, masquerading their opinions as independent, while often kowtowing to the government's line. 

It is to be recalled that for almost a period of two years, there have been speculations about the extent to which Hiiraanonline is affiliated with Ahmedou  Ould Abdallah and his office –an office known to be as corrupt as the TFG itself and always stands on the side of the Sharif administration.  Put all these facts together, it is plausible to assume that the Sharif government may have sought the service of Hiiranonline for the purpose of propagating selective information and news, mainly to the Diaspora community.

If the authorizing letter, which carries the seal and signature of the President, stays true to its objectives expressed in the copy attached herewith, then the Sharif government would effectively control one of the Somali internet portals in the Diaspora, thus effectively controlling opinions/news, and how they are disseminated through the pages of Hiiranonline. 

This rather Machiavellian move on the part of Sharif’s government represents both a challenge and opportunity for WardheerNews and its editorial board.  It is a challenge in that from now on we have the government of Sheikh Sharif as one of our key competitors.  On the other hand, the opportunity presented to us is that we have to double our efforts to serve our readers as a vigilant watch dog to protect the public interest.  This, we are prepared for and hope to thrive at, since the editorial board members of WardheerNews will do what they are good at –working hard for the love of labor, and not for any financial compensations. 

In this regard, we ask all our readers to work with us with zeal to preserve the integrity of free and fair coverage of the events that take place in Somalia and the region in which it is located.

WardheerNews would like to recommit and reaffirm itself to its original mission, which is "to produce and print for wider dissemination, articles and commentaries of high journalistic standard that are fair, objective and free from extremism, bias or external influence."   Having said that, we still entertain a faint of hope that Ahmed Gure and his web page renege on the service he had committed to offer to the TFG and stay true to the sprite of free and fair journalism so as to serve the Somali public and their well wishers around the globe.