, Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour has called on the Government to adequately resource the National){kind=link}
President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour has called on the Government to adequately resource the National Media Commission (NMC) to effectively carry out its mandate of monitoring and regulating media content in a proactive manner.
That, he said, will help empower people to bring issues of professional misconduct and ethical breaches to them for redress.
The call follows the rampant attacks on journalists in the country.
At a press conference held in Accra, the GJA President complained about how personnel from the Security Agencies, even civilians, have attacked journalists in their line of duty.
Most recently, he noted how an Immigration Officer cocked and pointed a gun at the Upper West Regional Chairman of GJA, Sualah Abdul-wahab and threatened to shoot him on June 20, 2023, without any provocation.
He also made it known how the Ashanti Regional Correspondent of GTV, Nicholas Osei-Owusu, was attacked by some soldiers while covering some miners who were trapped in a mining pit at Obuasi in the Ashanti Region a few weeks ago.
Mr Dwumfour again noted how Angel Fm’s Tema Regional Correspondent, Augustine Ahiabor was assaulted with his phone smashed by Residents of Ashaiman Lebanon Zone 2, just for taking pictures of a toilet facility in a compound that had collapsed on people.
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Reacting to the above, he said,”The violations that have been recorded in Ghana over the past year, in our view, give course for pessimism regarding the country’s performance in the next ranking of global media freedom.”
He stressed that,”It is obvious that our press freedom environment is deteriorating seriously and it is our view therefore that efforts to bring a positive change should begin from authorities, in sanctioning people who commit atrocities against Journalists and media practitioners.”
“Whilst at it, we also call on the government to adequately resource the National Media Commission (NMC) to effectively carry out its mandate of monitoring and regulating media content in a proactive manner. This will help empower people to bring issues of professional misconduct and ethical breaches to them for redress,” he added.
Meanwhile, he said the GJA continues to commit itself to promoting professional standards in the media, urging all journalists and media houses to continue to uphold Article 8 of the GJA code of conduct and ethics to guarantee the highest level of integrity and professionalism.
He said the GJA will not hesitate to call out any journalist or media organization that indulges in flagrant violation of the professional ethics and standards.
“This is in view of the recognition that press freedom, as contained in Article 162 of the constitution of Ghana, 1992, and indeed in all other forms of freedoms as in Article 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of the constitution, go with responsibility, and the duty to respect public sensibilities, human dignity and public interest must at all times be observed,” he said.
Mr Dwumfour cautioned those in the security service that attack journalists to put a stop to it, saying that the GJA will apply the law to get justice for victims.
“let it be made known to all in the security services that, we are collaborators in the service of our nation, but under the Dwumfour administration, if one journalist or media institution is attacked, I can assure our men in uniform, you have touched all practitioners, and we will apply the law to get justice.”
To the victims, he said,”All the victims of these unwarranted attacks too, I want to assure you, that we will follow through the petitions submitted, and make sure we seek justice for all of them. No one is above the law, and no one is the law, the law is the law, and does not respect authority, rank or command. We are all therefore equal before the law.”
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori