Observer Company Director Pa Malick Faye is sacked

Photo Credit: Daily Observer

The North Bank Evening Standard has been told “the Managing Director of the Observer Company, Mr. Pa Malick Faye is sacked.

“Yes, he was sacked this morning,” a staff who could not give much details of Mr. Faye’s sacking said on Thursday evening. “He is replaced by the former Director of Press Office of the President, Mr. Momodou Saidy.”

It is unclear what prompted his sacking on Jan. 3, 2012.

Media reports link his sacking to a story captioned “The Execution was hypocritically blown out of proportion”. The story, published on the midweek edition (Jan. 2) of the Daily Observer is based on a New Year’s Eve message which President Yahya Jammeh delivered to Gambians.

But this could not be independently verified by The North Bank Evening Standard.

Formerly, a reporter who rose through the ranks, Pa Malick Faye was appointed Observer Company’s managing director in 2009, following former managing director Neneh Macdouall-Gaye’s diplomatic-appointment.

“I was called upon to serve, and I did it to the best of my ability. What happened is rather unfortunate, but I take full responsibility, even though I was not directly responsible,”  The Point quoted Mr. Faye as saying.

Established as an independent newspaper in 1992 by veteran Liberian journalist Kenet Y. Best, the Daily Observer, now pro-government, remains the tiny West African country’s biggest selling newspaper.

The Observer Company (Gambia) Limited, the publisher of the Daily Observer, has a history of hiring and firing its Managing Directors.

Despite its known pro-government stance, the paper is still regarded privately-owned. Its proprietor is Mr. Amadou Samba, a prominent businessman.

Written by Modou S. Joof

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