Truth defeated hypocrisy in GJA election - Paul Adom-Otchere

The host of Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana show, Mr Paul Adom-Otchere says himself and other journalists who supported the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) over a statement issued on investigative reports on corruption were crucial to the victory of Mr Affail Monney landslide victory in GJA Presidential elections.

Mr Monney last Friday swept aside his challengers Lloyd Evans and Johnny Aryeetey to retain the GJA Presidency, garnering 310 of the 510 valid votes cast.

However, in the build-up to the election, his campaign suffered a major setback after his administration issued a controversial statement captioned ‘GJA on Anti-Corruption Crusade’.

The statement, cautioned the media against using its platforms to attack indigenous businesses doing their best to promote Ghana’s social and economic development, taken on a face value, is a genuine expression of concern over a matter within GJA’s mandate.

It also appeared to be targeted at the Multimedia Group and Manasseh Azure for the ongoing investigations into questionable contracts the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) signed with subsidiaries of the Jospong Group.

Five anti-corruption civil society organisations including the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Ghana Anti–Corruption Coalition (GACC), Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Citizens’ Movement against Corruption (CMaC), and Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) all expressed disappointment with the statement issued by the GJA.

Mr Adom-Otchere in an editorial on Metro TV's Good Evening Ghana program on Tuesday said the election was a clash between journalists who approved of the GJA statement and those who did not like the statement.

He said: "The election was between, those who liked the GJA press statement, that is us and those who did not like the GJA press statement, that is them".

He added that it was also a contest between persons who thought radio and television studios were high courts designed to prosecute people and "those of us who believed it is irresponsible for media to convict businesses, especially local businesses of crimes based on a news story.

Mr Adom-Otchere also stressed that the election was won by journalists who believe that investigative journalism must be conducted with the highest integrity standards towards a noble objective in the public interest.

"We are happy tonight that at the end of the day, truth has won and hypocrisy has been defeated, not just defeated but defeated decisively in a landslide.

"That is what we were standing for and we were not afr4aid to stand for it... And so, those who campaigned against Affail Monney, that he was doing corporate capture and that he was intimidating journalists now know that they are in the minority...

"Congratulations to Affail Monney and to all of us who supported truth and also congratulations to the legendary Lloyd Evans, we love you, you are still our mentor and we believe that you continue to do a great work... We stood by truth and truth has defeated hypocrisy".