President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Roland Affail Monney, has described as “depressing”, Ghana’s 60th position on the World Press Freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Mr Monney revealed that a “drop in ranking” had been anticipated due to a “confluence of anti-media factors”. However, he stated that he never expected the decline to be “so precipitous “, with Ghana moving from the “3rd in Africa to 10th, and 30th in the world to 60th, a 100 percent decline”.
Speaking at a press conference to commemorate the International Press Freedom Day today, May 4, 2022, Mr Monney stated that the arrests and “reckless attacks and animalistic disregard” for the rights of a number of journalists in their line of duty had resulted in the decline of the safety of journalists in the country.
“Ghana’s latest ranking in the World Press Freedom index is depressing enough to effect dramatic mood swings from one of celebration to that of lamentation.”
Roland Affail Monney
The GJA President expressed that the Association was losing hope in the Police with regard to the resolution of unresolved cases of brutalities against journalists. He explained that death threats on investigative journalists were not investigated and left unpunished. Mr Monney lamented that law enforcement officers who were supposed to protect journalists rather brutalize them.
“Three years on the spin, the assassination of Ahmed Suale of Tiger Eye fame in the most heinous of circumstances has been a stain of Ghana’s reputation as a land of freedom and justice, a citadel of media freedom and a beacon of democratic accomplishment in Africa. Assurance upon assurance of arresting the perpetrators have remained a hollow rhetoric. Soon after his appointment last year, we received with hope the announcement by the IGP, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, that a special unit had been established by the police to handle all such unresolved cases of brutalities against journalists. That hope is wobbling.”
Roland Affail Monney
Despite the gloomy impression created by the RSF report, Mr Monney highlighted that the results, although depressing, does not totally spell doom for the country.
GJA calls for passage of Broadcasting Bill
Meanwhile, Mr Monney has called for the passage of the Broadcasting Bill which he explained would address some challenges regarding media ownership in Ghana.
“We note with regret that the Broadcasting Bill designed to address the lingering challenges on the airwaves has been incubating for far too long. While we urgently demand the birth of the proposed law, either by natural or Caesarean means, we need to orchestrate a national conversation to take a hard look at the ownership structure of the media.”
Roland Affail Monney
Ownership, the GJA President emphasized, confers control on media owners, of which some go to the “extent of dictating content to the professionals they employ”. He explained that this issue poses the greatest “threat to media freedom in modern memory”.
On his part, the Executive Chairman of the National Media Commission, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, noted although journalists sometimes err in their reportage, victims should resort to the rule of law and not by means of physical force.
“After we have said what we want to say, if it offends the sensibilities and sensitivities of other people, we must pay compensation, because our rights are not more important than the rights of anybody whose reckless speech must be made to pay for that mischief, but not through the use of physical force but through the use of the rule of law.”
Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh
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