Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has revealed that the police cannot assume the responsibility for responsible media practice in the country.
Following the recent spate of arrest of journalists on false publications, he questioned the incessant means of arrest of journalists allegedly involved in publication of falsehood by the Ghana Police Service.
According to him, persons who feel affronted by false media publications by journalists must resort to the rule of law and not the use of force exacted by the Police Service. Speaking at a ceremony to commission an office facility for the Parliamentary Press Corps today, Friday February 18, 2022,Mr Bagbin revealed that there are some “heinous crimes” that the Police can proceed to arrest. However, he explained that for allegations that are centred on misreporting and allegations that are considered as misdemeanours, once the Police proceeds to arrest the person, “hijack the person by the trousers and lure the person into cells”, it is an outdated method of arrest and belongs to “yester-years and not today”.
“The Police cannot assume responsibility for responsible media practice in Ghana by scanning newspapers and news portals and arresting journalists for errors and misrepresentation. I don’t know how our Police CIDs were trained. That, if there’s an allegation made by a citizen, the first thing is to arrest that citizen. I don’t know where they got that law from.”
Alban Bagbin
Arrest of journalists in the country
Describing the approach in arresting journalists as “rambo style”, the Speaker advised the Police not to encourage and engage in such acts of arrest. Mr Bagbin argued that the swift arrest of these journalists is an affront to free speech. In lieu of this, he equally advised journalists to be circumspect in their reportage and ensure diligence in their activities. To this end, Mr Bagbin expressed that it is the role of the National Media Commission (NMC) to ensure that journalists abide by their professional code of ethics and disseminate factual information.
“Oftentimes, in our quest as journalists to disseminate the information we have in a timely manner, to beat the deadline set for us, we make some mistakes. Our information does not turn out to be entirely accurate. We end up making some representations. At times, impinging on the integrity and reputation of others”
Alban Bagbin
The Speaker emphasized that a civil arrest should be made only if the citizen failed to honour previous invitations, or perhaps wants to escape from the grip of the law.
Prior to this, the Director-General of Public Affairs at the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Kwesi Ofori, refuted accusations that the Police is targeting journalists for arrest as part of actions to intimidate the press.
DCOP Kwesi Ofori intimated that the Police have so far remained fair, firm and professional in all the cases they handle regardless of the persons involved.
“All that we are saying is that the journalists must be responsible and make sure that things put out are information that is true and accurate. When things are done haphazardly, it creates a problem for everyone”.
DCOP Kwesi Ofori
In the past weeks, three journalists have been arrested by the Police over claims they made on the radio which the Police described as a threat to national security.
The arrested persons included: Accra FM’s Bobie Ansah, Power FM’s Oheneba Boamah Bennie, and Onua FM’s Captain Smart who have all been charged with publication of false news and offensive conduct.
Reacting to claims that the arrest is a direct attack on journalists, DCOP Kwesi Ofori indicated that the Police is fair to all manner of persons in the country. He explained that when a case is lodged, it can be referred to “our criminal code, the law is there and they have not been repealed, it is not about people in authority, anybody can report that case”.
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