As we marked the end of the year 2010, the end of the first decade of the 2000 millennium, we are humbled and fascinated that out of the unexpected as every innovation known to man had come on the horizon to unravel new trend of inventions and discoveries through curiosity, enthusiasm, and inspiration, so is the coming into being of “The New Dispensation”.
What started as a childhood appetite for writing, debates and public speaking, though at the time with no interest of any serious plans in the future in these areas, grew as we developed along and matured with ever increasing passion as a mere habit without the slightest clue that that passion would one day un-purposedly lead and stumble us to establishing an institution that would draw the attention of well-meaning people and bring admiration and respect to the least ideas we thought we were writing about but seen astonishingly as ideas worth one’s attention, time, and interest.
We innocently took our passion into the cyber world by publishing articles on several Liberian and non-Liberian online outlets touching on various issues, sometimes tense and high profile but we had deep convictions on those issues we wrote about as we do with every story and editorial we carry. They drew overwhelming reviews and responses, both positive and negative critiques and it soon became a regular routine and the several feedback s kept on coming.
One day out of curiosity we thought, well, we think we need to establish our own platform from which we can control and be liable d for the continent we publish after a prominent Liberian daily published an article we sent for publication but changed the subject of the article which was dissecting one of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s early education policy (“Children in school during school hours or parents go to jail”) to their taste and ruined the essence of the piece. It threw out the focus of the issues the article was all about and highlighted whom the article was not about. We received countless feedbacks and hate ones as well, we had to write two different follow ups to set the record straight. And there where “The New Dispensation” was born.
As 2010 has come and gone, failed away into oblivion and we enter the New Year, The New Dispensation will be three years in operation. We therefore wish to reflect on our journey through 2010. The year under review was a success and our biggest growth since operation but very challenging. In 2010 we saw a 900% growth in audience. Our average daily audience soured to 800% and weekly audience grew to 800.89%. The most sort stories during 2010 were the George Weah/Bestman Arrest, Jenkins K Z B Scott, and the publication on transparency International Corruption Barometer 201 report which found Liberia as the most corrupt country in the world. Words and names most search in 2010 are George Weah and Bestman arrest, Jenkins K Z B Scott, and corruption report. The month with the largest audience was November with a 300% bomb. Our story with the single most audience within a month was the Jenkins K Z B Scott story.
At the click of the mouse, The New Dispensation is automatically deployed to over 15 other social networks, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Yahoo updates, Yahoo Messenger, WordPress, among others. With this capability, The New Dispensation interfaces over 10 million people daily and its feeds and headlines reach over 30 million worldwide. The management of The New Dispensaton has taken advantage of the enormous technological opportunities and built the high tech capability of this entity such that the following capabilities are currently in use:
1. Anyone can post to The New Dispensation via email
2. Anyone can post their live program or reporting by phone
3. The New Dispensation is visible and available any time anywhere to cover any program by way of live phone coverage of program or event
4. You can post to The New Dispensation via texting
Moving forward in 2011, we will focus on giving The New Dispensation a facelift and improve our service. Within the early part of this year, will add yet another technological capability with what it already has by making this service deplorable on cellphones for download and browsing. The New Dispensation will now concentrate interfacing this service with the community, people, institutions, and businesses. With this huge audience which encompasses diverse demography and geolocations, we will create the awareness on how society, institutions, and businesses can make use of it for promotion of their programs and services to the world.
We thank our diversed audience for the faith you put in us and we promise we will do our best to conform to our side of the bargain of the social contract between our readers and us by bringing you news and information characterised by good content and professionalism in the highest order. For our critics, we say, thank you. Your criticism kept us on our heels and drove our desire and commitment to reporting material of substance with professionalism. We say, as move forward this 2011, we urge you to keep sending those criticism. It will humble us and not make us comfortable in the little achievement we have had thus far. We want to hear what we don’t want to hear, when that happens, we get to recognize which area we need to make improvement in. In the long term,that quest to satisfy even our critics will drive our institution to the parameters of perfection.
After a new facelift, we will make available to the public the various technological capabilities and how they can use it. The New Dispensation has grown to what we never expected, together, let’s take advantage of this huge opportunity. Thank you, and Happy New Year. Hope, together, we have a jolly ride in 2011.
J K-K Peah
Managing Editor /Publisher
The New Dispensation
The New Dispensation 