"Sierra Leone‘s brutal civil war devastated the country‘s population and left its infrastructure in disarray. Over the last decade, international organizations have provided financial and technical assistance to many areas of society, including journalists and the media. Media assistance programs, or MAPs, are designed to promote democratization and development by fostering a free and independent press. This free press – also known as the fourth estate – is intended to disseminate accurate and unbiased information upon which citizens can base informed choices in their personal and political lives. In this thesis, it is first argued that current underlying political and socio-economic conditions in Sierra Leone prevent the emergence of a true fourth estate, despite the efforts of MAPs. Secondly, it is argued that MAPs could have a greater impact through a more holistic approach to media assistance, engaging in institution-building to target the root causes of Sierra Leone‘s biased and politicized media landscape." (Abstract)