Assault on journalists: Affront to free media
The Ghanaian media has grown in leaps and bounds since it was liberalised in 1993. This growth was further strengthened when the criminal libel law was repealed in 2001.
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Consistently, Ghana has ranked very high in various press freedom indexes. In 2013, for instance, Reporters Without Borders ranked Ghana 30th on its index of the world’s freest media, ahead of the USA at 32 and behind the UK at 29.
As a country, we should be proud that we have created the necessary conditions for the media to thrive.
Despite the gains made by the Ghanaian media, some challenges have hampered their work, especially where professionalism, logistics, infrastructure and welfare are concerned. But there are ongoing efforts to bring improvements to those areas.
One area that we have neglected, however, relates to the physical welfare of media personnel. This is because journalists are still being physically assaulted across the country as they go about their normal duties. It is my candid view that this is a very sad and strange development because media practitioners are supposed to be among the most respected professionals in the world because of the crucial role of their work.
As a manager of the largest media organisation in the country, having also managed a couple of other influential media houses in my previous experience, I’ve sent journalists to cover stories without ensuring that they are adequately protected from physical assaults and attacks by some members of society. As a result, some of them have been severely beaten and humiliated in the line of duty.
For this reason, I have a burden on my heart and a scar on my conscience.
Past sins
I believe I can and should take steps to correct my past sins by ensuring that the attacks on personnel of the Fourth Estate of the Realm stops.
In the words of the Editor of the Daily Graphic, Ransford Tetteh, the media is the oxygen of every democracy. So, if this crucial oxygen supply is cut off, the democracy of such a country will be undermined.
It’s sad that in Ghana, we have not taken any step to prevent people from subjecting our media men and women to physical attacks.
We continue to look on helplessly as media personnel are assaulted by people of all shades, including politicians, security detail of foreign dignitaries who are visiting Ghana, suspects on trial and their families, the police and military, football fans, and friends of celebrities. It is very sad that security officers, who are supposed to offer protection to journalists sometimes take the lead in brutally assaulting media practitioners. This conduct must end immediately.
Ironically, most of those who verbally or physically assault journalists don’t hesitate to run to the media for support when they are under some form of threat.
They forget that once media personnel lose the courage and fortitude that drive them in the exercise of their duties, that institution will be incapable of performing its crucial function of protecting our relatively young democracy.
Protection
We have to protect media persons by making it very clear to everyone that it is criminal, despicable and utterly unacceptable to attack a man or woman of the media in his or her line of duty.
When I raised this issue on Facebook, one of my friends, Tony Assan, pointed out that the media had a tendency to destroy people’s reputation by publishing false information. He also suggested that the media had failed to live up to its responsibility as the Fourth Estate of the Realm.
Tony said: “Have you sat for one moment to wonder what damage your people in the media on a daily basis, 'advertently' or inadvertently, do to [the] image of other people's fathers and mothers and their very soul?
“As far as you in the media are concerned, the media is free only when sitting governments will not attack you.
“Also note that the media is not free when your 'piper-payers' dictate your course of action, and by your editorial policy create for yourselves inappropriate alliances through which the task of the Fourth Estate is not well served.”
Assault unacceptable
I agree that from time to time, media houses and their staff err in the performance of their duties, but physically assaulting them is not the way to go. There are various avenues through which anyone who feels hurt by a media report can seek redress. For instance, one can start by asking any such media house to retract, apologise and publish a rejoinder to the offending publication. The person can also petition the National Media Commission (NMC) or even go to court.
It’s also true that media independence is under threat if the practitioners will not be professional and do as prescribed by Chapter 12 of the constitution, the GJA Code of Ethics & Conduct as well as the NMC Law and various guidelines.
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We at Graphic have our journalistic policy and guidelines as well and we try to go by them. We know we are not perfect but we continuously strive for perfection, and we will not stop.
Whatever the media infractions, nothing justifies the beating of women and men of the media. We must condemn attacks on media personnel in the same way we condemn people who attack the police in their line of duty.
It is also crucial that journalists are responsible and professional in the exercise of their duties, so that they do not put themselves in positions where they are vulnerable to attacks.
Journalists must rigorously abide by journalism’s cardinal principles of truth, accuracy and fairness.
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As a media manager, I will contribute my quota to ensuring that attacks on journalists are reduced to the barest minimum.
I intend to make life uncomfortable for anybody who physically assaults any of our media people. My efforts will extend beyond the staff of the Graphic Communications Group Limited to include all media men and women in the country.
For me, any attack on one media person is an attack on all of us, and we will use all legitimate means to ensure that it stops.
This is a notice to all concerned that we will protect our highly esteemed journalists.
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I am asking any journalist who is attacked in the line of duty to send me an email to 'kenneth.ashigbey@graphic.com.gh' or 'kenneth@ashigbey.com'.
The writer is the Editor-In-Chief of the Graphic Communications Group Limited, Ghana.