As a way of appreciating the contribution of the former Independent Media Commission (IMC) Chairman, late Rod Mac Johnson, the Commission on Monday 24th August 2020 opened a Book of Condolence at the IMC headquarter at Kissy House, Siaka Stevens Street. The late Rod Mac Johnson died in Maryland, USA on 1st March 2020. Welcoming family members, friends, colleagues and sympathisers of the late man, the current IMC Chairman, George Khoryama said his contributions to the media landscape are enormous, including his time as IMC Chairman.
Representing the Veteran Journalists Union (VEJU), Augustine A. Garmoh, lecturer at the Fourah Bay College, disclosed that the late Rod Mac Johnson spent almost all of his life in the field of journalism, calling him one of the most prolific writers since he started his career at the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service.
According to Garmoh, after joining the Ministry of Information, Communication and Broadcasting in 1973, Rod Mac Johnson rose through the rank and file before joining Fourah Bay College as lecturer in 1998, where he contributed to imparting knowledge to the minds of many a journalist. The President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, said it was easy to dismiss “’Sir Rod’ as we called him,” because he had this harmless demeanour about him, adding that the late man walked around as someone who would not harm a fly, as “he was always smiles and ready to listen to you”.
According to the SLAJ President, the period when Sir Rod served as the IMC Commissioner was a period of relief for most journalists, saying that’s because he was not the bullying type of Commissioner, neither was he rash with his words. “His speeches were always well crafted. And even if he wanted to send across a strong message, it was carried in a non-offensive manner,” he said, disclosing that during his reign as IMC Chairman, he preferred calling journalists/editors himself to raise issues about breaches of the IMC Code of Practice.
“He was willing and patient to get the journalists to understand their mistakes, apologise and move on. We wish all IMC chairpersons would be like him, but sadly even twins behave differently, because God has made them so,” he said. “Our father was an easy going person who always stayed around his radio or television set, even when he was out of the country,” said Roderick Mac Johnson, son of the late Rod Mac Johnson, speaking on behalf of the family.