Silencing the Mic: Ghana's Press Freedom Faces Storm Amid Recent Attacks

Ghana, often referred to as the "Gateway to West Africa," has earned a reputation as a beacon of press freedom in the region. The country's commitment to upholding the rights of journalists and maintaining a free and vibrant media environment has made it a model for other African nations striving to enhance their press freedom.

But that narrative has taken an unpleasant turn following recent attacks on one of the Nations media outlet, United Televesion (UTV). This development have raised concerns about the state of press freedom in the country.

On the 7th of October, UTV faced an intrusion by some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). These intruders disrupted the ongoing program, demanding the removal of a panelist named Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as Kwame A-Plus. Their demand stemmed from dissatisfaction with his actions and comments made in a previous episode.

During that episode of the United Showbiz, A-Plus tore up a letter that was believed to have come from the NPP government regarding the direction of the show. According to the contents of the letter, the show had seen panelists disrespecting the sitting president, the Vice President, and the party as a whole, without other panelists defending the government.

The independence and freedom of the media in Ghana is guaranteed by the constitution in Article 162. In clause 1 and 2 of the constitution, “Freedom and independence of the media are hereby guaranteed; Subject to this Constitution and any other law not inconsistent with this Constitution, there shall be no censorship in Ghana.”

The National Media Commission (NMC) was also created under the Constitution to promote media freedom and independence, as well as to ensure high journalistic standards.

The recent attack on the media started a chain of reactions from various organisations, the government civil society organisations, individuals and political parties including the NPP.

The Director of Communication at the NPP, Mr Richard Ahiagbah as a matter of urgency rushed to the studios of UTV to apologise unreservedly for the rogue actions of some party members. The actions of the NPP members he said were not sanctioned by the leadership of the party and his outfit will collaborate extensively with the investigations of the Ghana Police to ensure that all culprits involved are brought to book.

Speaking on behalf of the Government, the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah condemned the incident in a statement and called for media organizations to promote national cohesion.

The Opposition NDC through its Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi blamed the government solely for the attack and alleged that the attackers were led to the UTV studio by the NPP Klottey Korle Youth Organizer, under the orders of Ernest Owusu Bempah, a Deputy Director of Communications.

A-Plus had previously made a similar accusation, pointing to Mr. Bempah as the mastermind behind the attack. In response, Mr. Bempah released a statement in which he distanced himself from the incident. He also indicated that he had taken the step of filing a criminal complaint against the activist with the police.

Ghana's standing in the Global Press Freedom Index has been a source of growing concern in recent years. In 2023, the nation experienced a drop in its ranking, slipping two places from 60th in 2022 to 62nd.

Reporters Without Borders, the organization responsible for compiling the press freedom ranking, noted in its 2023 report that “Journalists’ safety has seriously deteriorated in recent years. In February 2022, three journalists were detained in the space of eight days and a fourth was very violently attacked. In May 2022, three unidentified individuals stormed into a radio station, smashed equipment and attacked the host and the producer of the show being broadcast. Politicians have meanwhile continued to make death threats against investigative journalists. Most cases of police violence against journalists are not pursued.”

The Latest attack is similar to other similar attacks at two other radio stations.

In January 2022, some thugs attacked Radio Ada, destroyed equipment and furniture in some of the station’s offices and manhandled two staff members over the content aired on one of the station’s programmes.

Subsequently, the intruders entered one of the studios, assaulting the presenter and causing damage to equipment. Julius Odoi, the Head of Programmes and External Communications at Radio Ada, confirmed the incident, stating that “the presenter in the studio shut the door, when he realised that the thugs were on their way in, but they forced their way and started slapping him.”

In the weeks leading up to the attack, the station had been vocal in its criticism of the government's choice to entrust the management of salt concessions in the area to a private company.

In May 2023, Abubakari Sadiq Gariba, a radio presenter for Tamale-based Dagbon FM, became a victim of physical assault during a live broadcast. Mr. Gariba explained that the attack was provoked by his condemnation of one of the assailants on the show for making ethnocentric comments. A viral video of the incident captures the distressing moment when two unidentified individuals confronted him in his studio seat and threatened physical harm if he persisted in speaking. The police issued a caution to the attackers and announced that investigations into the matter were ongoing.

The latest incident has once again sparked calls for urgent steps to protect press freedom.

The National Media Commission has since called for the immediate prosecution and punishment of all persons involved. 

The police have, to date, apprehended 16 individuals linked to the incident.

Press freedom is a cornerstone of a democratic society. Ghana's ability to address these challenges and maintain a vibrant and independent media environment is crucial not only for its own democracy but also as an example for other nations in the region. Balancing the rights of journalists, the public's right to information, and national security will be an ongoing challenge, but it is essential for the continued growth and development of Ghana's democracy.