THE TRUE TEST OF A ROBUST DEMOCRACY IS THE INDEPENDENCE OF ITS MEDIA

Greetings Omanhene,

A love for Ghanaians and Ghana and strong desire to unearth the truth, a disciplined and passionate person would make a good journalist. Like any other profession, journalism too requires certain type of people, not everyone can become a good journalist. There are certain qualities a person must posses in order to become a good journalist. Some qualities can be worked on, but mostly a certain personality would be more more suitable for the high pressure job of a journalist. That is why Komla Dumor a product of Multimedia was able to rise to that enviable height and gained that powerful international status. He began his exploits from same building where Omanhene operates from. Komla Dumor and others who worked at the place before Omanhene’s generation, lived up to the image of the conventional journalist that readers have in mind, while others were stark contrast just like Omanhene and his likes, nevertheless, they were good at their job.

Journalism in Ghana is facing serious crisis. The mainstream media is increasingly vested in the hands of a selected few and refuses to question authority.

Our media has suddenly become the mouthpiece of the Akufo-Addo government. Coupled with the fact that the corporate owners of some of the private media houses share close link with the government, the Ghanaian media has tragically lost its voice. Over the last few years, especially after Nana Akufo-Addo won the presidential elections of 2016, the Ghanaian mainstream media has allowed itself to be undermined by the transcendent political power that he represents. The Ghanaian media has been polarised badly by the current administration. The media is in a bad shape, Omanhene and his likes who came to practice journalism are not aware of their role now. They are now openly and aggressively supporting the Npp and have become arrogant and power hungry. They want government officials and supporters of the Npp to see them as sympathisers and standby communicators of government and party. When they land on their radio and television shows, they do not ask questions or explain issues for their listeners and viewers anymore but government propaganda. Government officials and their propagandists in the media including Omanhene have been dancing to their own tunes. Social media is radically changing the industry’s concept and making things difficult for bad journalists in the system. Journalists are forced to accelerate the traditional journalistic process because people now want real time information. Omanhene and his friends who have been signed on by the Government to attack the opposition and help them deceive Ghanaians, are going through hell fire and meeting pythons because of the social media revo.

I felt weak and highly devastated after listening to Omanhene’s attack on Adongo and the NDC. I felt sad because I know that a journalist must be a well read person, he or she does not have to be an expert, but he/she must posses a wide range of knowledge. This is important, because he will be informing people and this is not possible if he /she is not well informed. Komla Dumor rose to that enviable height because he showed command over topics he discussed, eschewed unnecessary biases and partiality, accorded his audience, presidents and ex presidents, government appointee, the ordinary Ghanaian, his listeners and colleagues, the respect and apace they deserved. He never expressed senseless emotions on his shows and measured everything he said on his show.

There is no room for errors in news and it is one of the basic tenets of the profession. So, why the guesses and churning of false information and figures. Omanhene and his likes should double check their facts before sitting behind the consul.

One reason why we don’t see much criticism in the media under this administration us that the President, has the ability to dominate the media’s agenda by saturating the public and media sphere with lies, fake images, leaflets. Thus the media is bound to only react to the news agenda offered by the Akufo Addo government rather than investigate its action independently. So Omanhene and his guys will not only bury Adongo’s powerful message, but will stupidly rain insults on the young man just because he had reacted to the lies Bawumia told Ghanaians.

Sure there is a credibility crisis…but some of the journalists and writers who hitherto were seen as terribly bias and anti-NDC have surprised the world. Manasseh Azure, Franklin Cudjoe and others have surprised the world. Manasseh Azure has so far displayed real professionalism and confidence. With happenings in the media, many journalists often fall into the trap of abandoning their ethics. So far, Azure has showed that he knows how to balance a sense of ethics with a thirst for uncovering secrets.