Published: December 15, 2025
MONROVIA — Rancy Clarke, Bong County correspondent for The Liberian Investigator, has won the 2025 Young Journalist of the Year Award, organizers announced over the weekend.
The annual award is organized by Youth Media Action (YMA), a grassroots media development initiative that provides training and broadcast experience to high school students and young people in 10 of Liberia’s 15 counties.
Clarke, who also serves as a senior reporter at Radio Gbarnga, received a laptop computer, a tape recorder and a certificate.
His award-winning entry documented the plight of residents of Sawolor Town after the community’s only hand pump, installed in 2011, collapsed in 2022. The town’s 1,258 residents were forced to rely on a nearby creek considered unsafe for drinking, a situation linked to at least seven diarrhea-related deaths.
With no clinic and limited resources to repair the pump, residents turned to local vendors selling medicines under unsafe conditions, further exposing them to health risks. Clarke’s reporting highlighted the urgent need for access to clean water and basic health care in rural communities.
Following publication of the report, county officials and relevant authorities intervened, and the community now has access to safe drinking water. Judges praised Clarke’s work for its depth, sensitivity and commitment to uncovering underreported stories in the public interest.
Clarke discovered his passion for journalism as a seventh-grade student at St. Matthew Academy in Gbarnga, where he participated in campus-based workshops and later served as a senior reporter.
In 2018, he enrolled at William V.S. Tubman Gray High School and joined the school’s press department. That same year, he completed the YMCA Youth Journalism and Leadership Training, earning a certificate of achievement. His performance led to his recruitment by Hott FM Gbarnga as a child broadcaster, where he developed a strong interest in news writing and reporting.
After two years at Hott FM, Clarke joined Radio Gbarnga in 2022 through a Youth Media Action internship. He now serves as senior reporter at Radio Gbarnga and Bong County correspondent for The Liberian Investigator.
Clarke said he was filled with joy, describing the award as an inspiration for his career and an opportunity to focus more on human-interest stories.
“I am excited about this national recognition and see it as a motivation to continue telling the stories of ordinary Liberians, including persons living with disabilities,” Clarke said.
“I want to extend sincere thanks to Youth Media Action Liberia, the awards committee and everyone associated with the process for the transparency demonstrated throughout. The scrutiny was fair, and the outcome reflects that integrity,” he added. Launched in 2023, the Young Journalist Award recognizes and celebrates outstanding young talent in the Liberian media, according to Youth Media Action Executive Director Varmah Kamara.
“Too often, award ceremonies in the Liberian media focus on mainstream journalists, overlooking the incredible work of young reporters and enterprising journalists,” Kamara said. “That is why we decided to launch this initiative.”
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