Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has asked the Police Administration to develop safety protocols for journalists who will cover the December 7 General Election.
He said it was disheartening that investigations into incidents of violence against journalists in the 2020 General Election did not result in the prosecution of the perpetrators.
He said this in an interview monitored by the Ghana News Agency on the Media General Platform.
The interview highlighted key national issues, including illegal mining, media freedom, and the safety of journalists during elections.
The GJA President stated: “The media has come under severe attack. We would like to know what the police have done about that? During the 2020 general election, a journalist was assaulted and suffered collateral consequences for discharging his professional duties, and the Police till today have not prosecuted anyone.
“A journalist who was shot has gone through three medical surgeries already and is still recovering, and the police have not done as expected about such a crime.”
The safety of journalists must transcend rhetoric, with the focus being the development of safety protocols that would protect journalists, he emphasised.
He encouraged the Police to demonstrate a high level of professionalism during elections by ensuring that perpetrators of crimes against journalists faced prosecutions.
He also called for more engagement and collaboration on the plan of the Police to integrate liaison officers into the safety framework for journalists on election day.
The IGP last week met the leadership of major media houses and assured them of the safety of journalists covering the event.
Mr Dwumfour spoke on the polarisation of Ghana’s media, particularly, the ownership of media organisations by politically exposed persons.
Media ownership must be an open and transparent process with the public having the right to know the owners, he urged.
He noted that the ethics of journalism were often compromised in organisations owned by politically exposed persons.
Additionally, journalists who were members or avid supporters of political parties were flouting their professional code of ethics and polarising the nation with their fanatic activities.
He, therefore, advised journalists to ensure that their political biases did not skew their editorial judgment.
They should prioritise adhering to the principles of objectivity, balance, and fairness, he underlined.
Journalists must also be emotionally intelligent and dispassionate when discharging their duties, especially, during the elections.
Mr Dwumfour observed that though there had been instances of unprofessionalism on the part of some journalists, the coverage of the campaign activities had been generally good.
Source: GNA
