Editorial (The Daily Searchlight, Friday, May 20th, 2022)
The Central Region branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has condemned the recent attacks on some media men and a radio station in the Region.
The Association said it will not tolerate any form of hooliganism or intimidation of its members by any social miscreants.
In a statement signed by Mr Kingsley Nana Boadu, Secretary of the Association such anti-media and anti-democratic acts should not go unpunished.
The Association therefore called for full-scale investigations and prosecution to deter other offenders from attacking journalists with impunity.
Recounting last Monday’s attacks, the statement said Mr Eric Blessing Eshun, a journalist with Elmina-based Benya FM was brutalized in his studio while the station’s equipment were vandalized by a group of unknown thugs.
According to the statement, the attack happened during a live discussion on fishing and pre-mix fuel distribution in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipality.
It said the group was apparently incensed by accusations of discrimination in the pre-mix fuel distribution to some persons who were not fishers.
Similarly, the statement recalled with utmost disgust the attack on Mr Prince Acquah, a journalist with the Ghana News Agency, on Monday, May 2, 2022, while covering the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency election of the New Patriotic Party.
According to the statement, the journalist was filming an altercation that ensued at the venue over transport allowance for the delegates at the Ajumako campus of the University of Education, Winneba.
Barely after a minute after filming the heated argument, a mob from the milled Party supporters furiously accosted and physically assaulted Mr. Acquah, claiming he was a spy or agent of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The statement indicated that although the matter was reported to the Ajumako Police, the perpetrators have not been identified and brought to book.
It described the acts as a slur on Ghana’s press freedom and a setback to empowering journalist to perform their duty without fear or favour.
To the above, we would simply suggest that the time has come for Ghanaians to exhibit a greater degree of tolerance towards criticism, free expression, and journalistic work.
We believe that journalists play a cardinal role in informing, educating and entertaining Ghanaians. It is also not their duty to assist to cover up wrongs. In many cases, it is the duty of journalists to expose wrongdoing.
However, when journalists get it wrong, we do not resolve the issue by physical attacks, by the accepted means of redress such as rejoinder, or lawsuits, or reports to the National Media Commission (NMC). We do not subject the journalists to physical attacks, and their equipment to destruction.
We believe that we must also advise journalists to differentiate between facts, and commentary. The lines become blurred when people hide under the journalistic banner to visit all manner of spurious commentary against others, which, in many instances, amount to commentary, as against journalistic reporting. Media owners have a duty to ensure that people who claim to be engaged in journalism, engage in journalism.
We commiserate with our brethren who have been attacked, and we hope that the police would investigate this matter and bring the culprits to book.
