Liberia: Newspaper website hacked

The website of privately-owned Monrovia–based New Democrat newspaper was on May 17, 2010, hacked into for the second time by unknown hackers.

The homepage of the New Democrat, www.newdemocratnews.com, according to the publishers, was replaced with a photograph and a message: “can you feel it, your rage feeds our power”.

Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent reported that readers from Europe and America alerted the newspaper through telephone calls.

The New Democrat, according to the correspondent, is noted for writing critical stories on corruption in government and was recently slapped with a huge sum of US$ 900,000 by a court as damages for defaming the reputation of the Consolidated Group Incorporated, pay-per -view provider in Liberia.  

The management of the newspaper has described the hackers as “cowardly mischief makers”, who they believe have the backing of a higher authority.

The website was unavailable over the weekend and has since resume operation.

- May 20, 2010 by MFWA

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Source: www.mediafound.org/index.php (accessed on 20.05.2010)