Legal Counsel Samuel Alesu-Dordzi has urged journalists engaged in investigative reporting to place public interest, reliable sourcing and careful verification at the centre of their work. He explained that these measures can help journalists pursue matters affecting society while reducing their exposure to defamation claims.

The lawyer made the observation in an exclusive interview with the Vaultz News on Ghana’s defamation laws, the rights and responsibilities of journalists and the relationship between responsible reporting and press freedom.

Analysing the legal risks associated with investigative journalism, the legal counsel identified the nature of the information being published as an important consideration. He noted that journalists need to establish whether the subject of a publication genuinely serves the public interest before deciding how far the reporting should go.

Public interest, he explained, carries a different meaning from information that merely attracts public curiosity. Matters involving the private activities or personal preferences of public figures may generate considerable interest, yet such curiosity alone does not automatically establish a legitimate public interest.

The scope of an issue can therefore provide an initial guide. Where information affects a substantial section of society, the matter may carry stronger grounds for being considered a subject of public interest.

Referencing the protections available within defamation law, the lawyer also highlighted the importance of credible sources. Journalists, he advised, need to assess the reliability of information before publication because sources may sometimes attempt to use the media to advance personal disputes or settle private scores.

Verification consequently becomes a central safeguard. Truth can provide a defence in defamation proceedings, while the circumstances surrounding the gathering and publication of information can also become relevant when questions about motive arise.

The legal counsel further drew attention to the importance of the journalist’s conduct before publication. A newsroom that takes deliberate steps to check information, assess its reliability and approach the subject for a response creates a stronger foundation for responsible reporting.

“It often helps, I believe, to identify and be credibly sure about the reliability of the source that you have relied on.”
Samuel Alesu-Dordzi

The tone of a publication also carries legal significance. Fairness and balance can assist journalists when defending the manner in which allegations or sensitive information have been presented to the public.

Verification, Fairness Influence Protection Against Claims

Directing attention to the practical side of reporting, the legal counsel encouraged journalists to treat verification as an active process. This involves examining the information available, testing its credibility and taking reasonable steps to establish whether the material can withstand scrutiny.

Seeking a response from the person who forms the subject of a publication can also strengthen the reporting process. Such an approach gives the affected person an opportunity to provide an explanation while allowing journalists to present competing accounts before publication.

The lawyer also identified motive as an important consideration when questions of malice arise. Demonstrating that journalists took considerable care to establish the accuracy of material can assist in showing that a publication was pursued for legitimate journalistic purposes.

Thus, investigative reporting requires more than obtaining information that appears newsworthy. It demands a disciplined process in which public interest, source credibility, verification and fairness work together.

This approach also serves the wider interests of journalism. Careful reporting can strengthen public confidence while allowing journalists to investigate issues that require public scrutiny.

Defamation Law Must Balance Reputation And Media Freedom

The legal counsel also argued that Ghana’s defamation framework must preserve a careful balance between the public’s right to information and the protection of individual reputation. He explained that the law operates within a difficult area where legitimate journalism and personal rights can sometimes come into conflict.

The lawyer observed that reputation can carry serious consequences for an individual’s economic position and social relationships. For that reason, legal protection for reputation remains an important part of the balance that defamation law seeks to achieve.

At the same time, media freedom is part of the constitutional framework governing the dissemination of information in Ghana. The protection extends beyond traditional news organisations to people involved in communicating information through different platforms.

Constitutional protection therefore gives journalists and other information providers room to perform their functions. This freedom, however, operates alongside responsibilities concerning fairness and the treatment of individuals whose reputations may be affected by publications.

On this point, the legal counsel stressed that the protection of media freedom should be considered together with the responsibility to treat people fairly. He indicated that the power associated with public communication carries consequences when information about an individual reaches a wide audience.

“The Constitution guarantees media freedom. And by media freedom, it is not necessarily traditional media per se, but typically persons who are involved in the dissemination of information one way or the other.”
Samuel Alesu-Dordzi

The principle creates an important distinction for modern journalism. Information now moves through newspapers, digital platforms, podcasts and other channels, making the constitutional question relevant to a wider group of communicators.

Therefore, protecting media freedom requires recognition of the different ways information reaches the public. At the same time, responsible journalism requires attention to the effects that publications can have on people who become the subject of reports.

Referencing the competing interests within defamation law, the lawyer explained that the public needs access to information about developments in society while individuals need protection against unjustified damage to their reputations. The challenge lies in ensuring that one interest does not unnecessarily undermine the other.

The legal counsel further linked reputation to practical consequences beyond public perception. Damage to a person’s image can affect economic opportunities as well as social and personal relationships.

Fair Reporting Strengthens Media Freedom

Fairness consequently emerges as an important part of responsible journalism. A publication that gives adequate consideration to relevant perspectives can contribute to informed public discussion while reducing the risk of presenting contested allegations as established facts.

Analysing the issue from the perspective of press freedom, the lawyer’s position suggests that stronger journalism comes from understanding both constitutional rights and legal responsibilities. Journalists who recognise the boundaries within which their freedoms operate can pursue difficult stories with greater confidence and care.

The same principle applies to people who disseminate information outside conventional newsrooms. Digital publishers, podcast hosts and other communicators increasingly influence public debate, making awareness of defamation principles relevant across the wider information environment.

Thus, media freedom and protection of reputation remain connected elements of Ghana’s legal order. A functioning democratic society requires space for scrutiny while preserving responsible standards in the way allegations and personal information reach the public.