Monrovia – In a revelation sending shockwaves by means of Liberia’s political and media panorama, U.S.-based Liberian broadcaster Stanton Witherspoon has overtly admitted that he and a number of other distinguished political commentators intentionally fabricated and amplified false narratives linking former President George Manneh Weah to a sequence of high-profile deaths and disappearances throughout his administration.
By: Julius Konton, contributing author
Talking throughout a latest episode of his broadly adopted program, “Spoon Discuss,” Witherspoon confessed that the persistent public allegations and accusations that Weah ordered or hid the deaths of presidency auditors and was linked to the disappearance of the three West Level boys weren’t primarily based on proof, however on a politically motivated communication technique.
“We framed routine deaths, pure causes, medical issues, accidents as focused killings,” Witherspoon admitted. “We wished to wreck Weah politically. It was coordinated. It was deliberate. And we knew precisely how the general public would react”, he defined.
Weaponizing Public Worry
The allegations emerged at a time when Liberia was grappling with extreme financial pressures.
Between 2018 and 2021, inflation soared above 26%, unemployment remained above 80% amongst youth, and corruption remained the main public concern.
Political strategists, Witherspoon mentioned, knew that the general public was already emotionally charged and distrustful of the federal government.
“Folks had been pissed off. So we took benefit of that,” he mentioned. “We amplified each tragedy as if it had been a state-sponsored homicide. We turned suspicion into certainty.”
The Auditor Deaths: Tragedy Became Political Ammunition
Throughout Weah’s time period, not less than 4 authorities auditors died beneath totally different circumstances starting from site visitors accidents to well being issues.
The incidents sparked widespread panic and protests, fueled largely by commentary from influential media personalities.
Witherspoon now admits that he and others deliberately mischaracterized these occasions as assassinations.
“We didn’t anticipate autopsies. We didn’t anticipate information. We merely claimed it was homicide and we pushed it arduous”, he narrated.
Smearing Forensic Consultants
In an additional twist, Witherspoon acknowledged that the marketing campaign additionally concerned attacking respected forensic pathologists, together with Dr. Benedict Kullie, who carried out a number of official autopsies.
He mentioned he and others knew the health workers had been merely reporting scientific findings, however they selected to painting them as political operatives shielding the federal government.
“We accused specialists of being paid brokers. It wasn’t true. We knew it wasn’t true. However it fed the narrative we wanted,” Witherspoon mentioned.
A Coordinated Disinformation Technique
In accordance with Witherspoon, the intention was easy: undermine George Weah’s credibility, erode public belief in his safety establishments, drive political panic and anger and affect voter sentiment forward of key elections.
Analysts observe that the tactic mirrors world developments in political misinformation.
A 2023 UNESCO research confirmed that 70% of political disinformation campaigns in creating democracies originate from home actors, not international ones.
A Political Earthquake
Witherspoon’s confession has ignited fierce debate throughout Liberia and inside the diaspora.
Supporters of the previous president say the revelations show that Weah was the sufferer of a “systematic character assassination marketing campaign.”
Critics argue the confession exposes a deeper rot: the weaponization of media affect, the erosion of public belief, and the damaging energy of unchecked commentators in Africa’s younger democracies.
What comes subsequent politically and legally stays unsure.
However one factor is obvious: Witherspoon’s phrases have reopened some of the contentious chapters of Liberia’s latest political historical past, elevating troubling questions on reality, manipulation, and the way forward for public discourse.
