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Claim: A blog in Liberia, Online Parrot, claimed in an official Facebook post that Madam Cecelia Clarke is the first lady to serve as police spokesperson in Liberia’s history.
Verdict: False! Madam Clarke is not the first female to serve as a police spokesperson. Madam Yvonne E. Sterwart-Barh served in that position before her
Full Text
On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, a Liberian blog, Online Parrot, posted on its official Facebook platform that Madam Cecelia Clarke is the first lady in Liberia’s history to be appointed police spokesperson for the Liberia National Police (LNP).
The blog’s post announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the 1st Lady ever to serve as a police Spokesperson in the history of Liberia. Meet the newest spokes-lady on the block, Madam Cecelia Clarke.”
From the time the post was made, it has had 103 comments, one share, and over 300 emojis.
The blog post came following a brief ceremony marking the official announcement of Madam Clarke as the next police spokesperson of the Liberian National Police (LNP) by police authorities.
This pronouncement received massive media coverage, as seen here and here.
Verification
Our researcher contacted the blog via messenger to substantiate the claim that Madam Clarke was the first female police spokesperson. However, the blog did not respond as of the time this report was published.
We then contacted two Liberian journalists, Ansu S. Konneh and George Barbu, a former spokesperson of the Liberia National Police. In separate comments, both individuals told the researcher that Madam Clarke is not LNP’s first female head of communications. They noted that Madam Yvonne Sterwart-Barh was LNP’s first deputy police director for press and public affairs a designation equivalent to police spokesperson,.
Madam Sterwart-Barh also confirmed to DUBAWA via messenger that she served as the LNP’s police spokesperson.
“Hello there. I would like to believe that I was the first female to serve in that position,” Madam Sterwart-Barh said.
Conclusion
Based on all our investigations, Online Parrot’s claim that Madam Clarke is LNP’s first female spokesperson is false.
