The Bad Story Again

We are constrained to return to the subject of the manhandling of journalists: its rampancy has hit an astronomical pitch. It is a decision informed by the negative impact the absurdity has on democracy and our civility rating in the international comity of the decent.

That it appears to have fizzled out soon after the recent couple of episodes is because of the impotence and deliberate apathy of the organisations charged with seeking the welfare of journalists.

It is a mark of our backwardness as a nation when public officials can order the arrest of journalists and have them beaten up as the refrain, 'be professional in your work' is spewed by favour executives of the Ghana Journalists' Association (GJA) and the National Media Commission (NMC).

We are our own enemies. What should we expect when our own members are ambivalent in their remarks as the animal instinct of public servants overwhelm their thinking faculties and they let loose their dogs of attack on us? Our reports have caused discomforts to thieving politicians and public servants and so we deserve it when we are beaten up, the GJA and NMC appear to be saying.

We as journalists are not there to do the Public Relation (PR) bidding of politicians and representatives of conglomerates. Ours is to highlight the good and the bad, with a view to ensuring decency of public officials and the growth of society in conformity with world acclaimed good practices. After all, 'in the arts the critique is the source of information and the rest, PR.'

It is ironic therefore that somebody whose subtle political maneuvers have earned him appointment as deputy minister would stoop so low as to remark shamefully that over 90% of news being churned out by the media are false. The irony is aggravated when such a person was in media practice before the gravy train of local politics stopped by his residence.

He might be right because after all, the bulk of the stories about government come in the form of press releases—PR stuff hardly representing the true reflection of the truth.

A critical report about the rising incidence of assault of journalists by state hounds cannot meet the warped standards of such a deputy minister.

When government agencies feed garbage into the media through face-saving press releases, what comes out would definitely be garbage.

With nobody there to fight for our cause perhaps, we must arm ourselves and defend ourselves when the villains, acting upon the dictates of their paymasters, turn their fists on us. No, we cannot descend to their level and conduct ourselves like the monsters that they are.

There is no sitting on the fence in such matters. If they come for your friend or brother in the morning they may come for you the day after or much later. We must be our brothers' keepers and stick together because like orphans we have nobody to look up to for protection: feeble and                    good-for-nothing statements when our faces are blooded, cannot soothe our anguish.

We are once more expressing our angst at Okoe Vanderpuije who as we observed earlier, is enjoying his cozy relationship with the President: he can do anything including messing up the lives of Kantamanto Market traders and the President would see nothing wrong with the action.

Over 100 assault cases against journalists between last and now, is a terrible indictment on government, the GJA and the NMC. We on the DAILY GUIDE have adequate experience of being targeted by politicians for hate and threatening text messages—all intended to put fear in us. We have not capitulated in our resolve to do our work in the way we have been taught to do, using our conscience as our guide.