Alfred Sirleaf, with his "Daily Talk" blackboard newspaper, is a kick in the pants to us journalists who take our resources for granted -- and to anyone, political candidates included, who thinks the media is not one of the most crucial elements in our democracy ...

In 2000, Sirleaf, like most Liberians, was trying to survive the civil war that in 10 years had killed a tenth of Liberia’s people and driven half from their homes. Warlord Charles Taylor -- now on trial for war crimes in the International Criminal Court -- had led a drug-crazed army of teens on a rampage so barbaric it boggles the mind. I left most of their gruesome crimes out of my stories in deference to listeners' sensibilities.

Sirleaf had little education and no media training but he realized two crucial things: First, that the war continued because the young soldiers and their supporters didn’t have access to any information. Taylor brainwashed them into believing that fighting for him would bring them riches and power. They believed Taylor’s fraudulent claims to be the rightful leader, and that Taylor’s enemies would subjugate them if they won. They needed to hear the truth if they were to see Taylor for what he was, and to stop fighting.

Sirleaf also realized that after a decade of war more than half the Liberian people were illiterate. Those who could read couldn’t understand the flowery, overblown prose of the government-sanctioned newspapers. (I still struggle to understand them!) Neither could they afford to pay for them.

So, Sirleaf came up with his ingenious blackboard newspaper. The major stories of the day are written up in clear, short prose. There are no big words, only language Liberians use every day. Sirleaf uses pictures and symbols to make it easier for those who have trouble reading. He is beholden to none, and leaders on all levels of society feel his fire.

Like his media-owning counterparts in the West, Sirleaf is willing to throw in his own opinion now and then. He may not be perfect, but he’s the closest thing the people of Liberia have to the truth ... and they, like me, love him for it.

Listen to Prue's story.

Congratulations to reporter Prue Clark on winning the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Electronic Journalism for this story!