Born in Farafenni, Jallow completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Sierra Leone. He became a journalist, and was appointed as assistant editor of "The Daily Observer" in 1994, following the coup d'etat. He became editor-in-chief, and fought against the odds to maintain the paper's independence during the first years of the Yahya Jammeh regime. He resigned in 1999 when new owners threatened its independence, and he founded "The Independent" shortly after. As its editor, Jallow took very strong stances against the regime, especially regarding the April 2000 Gambian student massacre. He was a constant target of harassment from government forces, and was in such danger that he was forced into exile in the United States in September 2000.