Only Journalists Can Protect Their Profession

It was very instructive to observe how quickly the owners of Monte Radio absolved themselves from the hideous contempt of court which recently earned prison sentences for three panellists who took part in a programme aired by the station.

They all expressed their disgust at the sentiments expressed by the panellists against the Supreme Court, and indicated that had they known in advance that the “Montie Trio” were going to make such outrageous statements, the owners would not have allowed them to do so!

Which raises the question: what made them offer employment to the producer who put the programme on the air? Who appointed the host of the programme? `Who was listening to the programme, as it went on the air live, to monitor it and ensure that if it strayed into illegal areas – such as of libel, contempt of court or obscenity-- the discussion would be terminated?

That is what a radio station manned by good professionals would do. For microphones can have an intoxicating effect on human beings. It happens to politicians on podiums. It happens to evangelists in pulpits: who would have believed, for instance, that a well-respected “prophet” would taunt his congregation with the statement that the perfume he wore was more expensive than the monthly wages 0f some of them?

Of course, the possession of money – which enables people to buy microphones and install them at radio stations – does not guarantee that the purchasers of the microphones would have enough wisdom to consult professionals before setting up their radio stations. They would, of course, rely on engineers to select and install the transmitters and other equipment; accountants to keep an eye on the advertising revenue and balance it against the wages of the station's employees. But when it comes to the producers and the journalists who decide what news items to broadcast and what topics should be discussed and by whom, political associates, nephews and nieces, friends and paramours, can be counted upon to fill the majority of the posts.

”We didn't know they would behave like that!” the owners protest. As if saying that one didn't know a baby could crawl towards an open fire would be enough to excuse one for exposing the child to the possibility of being burned alive.

I intend, in this article, to illustrate how easy it is to ignore all journalistic ethics and principles, as well as ordinary common sense, in offering what is alleged to be “news” to radio listeners. It is important to note, at the outset, that radio listeners often include print journalists, who use the radio as a lazy way of filling their own pages.

The story is taken from a report reprinted from Ultimatefmonline.com/106.9fm by Ghanaweb on 11 August 2016:

QUOTE:
“I Make GH¢10,000 Each Time I Have sex with a Virgin - Ritualist Confesses

By Stephen Zoure
“The desire of Forty-Six (46) year old businessman Stephen Nortey, to become rich overnight has led him into sleeping with virgins as directed by his spiritual father, in order to keep his wealth increasing.

Nortey who hails from the New Juaben Municipality in the Eastern Region, claims that ... a spiritualist who resides in Nankese... initiated him into sleeping with virgins.....

“He claims he uses a special handkerchief given to him by his spiritual father ... to wipe off the blood that comes out of virgin girls after sleeping with them, and later drop (sic) it in a pot which is meant to produce money after he goes through some incantations. “I make a whopping amount of ten thousand Ghana cedis (GH₵10,000.00) anytime I have sex with a virgin”, he disclosed on Koforidua-based Bryte FM.

“The businessman lures his victims with gifts and when they become unconscious, he makes a snake given to him by the fetish priest enter their private parts if he desires foreign currency and can make up to $50,000 in a day. On how he is able to get his target ladies, he said “I smell of money and that speaks for me. I have been doing this for the past twelve years and have so far used about thirty young virgins”. UNQUOTE

There are many internal contradictions in this story which should make any alert news editors, sub-editors and editors wary of accepting its truthfulness and passing it on to listeners/readers. To begin with, how does Mr Nortey ascertain that the “virgin” he has selected is in possession of C10,000 (or in the case of foreign currency, $50,000)? In any case, how does he know that a young lady is a “virgin” or not – before he has “slept” with her?

Try and unpick the rest of the illogical aspects of the story yourself. Ask, for instance: Why did the fetish priest give Nortey the power to extort money only from “virgins”? What have virgins done to annoy the fetish priest? Where does Nortey normally keep the “snake”? What does he feed it on? Has the snake ever bitten one of the “virgins”?

In fact, you will find, as you deconstruct it, that the entire Nortey story is phooey! Yet it made its way, through two radio stations, to Ghanaweb, which is the main website used by many Ghanaians (especially those abroad) to obtain news about their country, to say nothing of foreigners who want to learn more about Ghana.

Now, if Ghanaian “journalists” continue in this way to peddle ignorance, superstition and pornography as “news”, they will inevitably arouse the ire of the “thought police” who exist – usually secretly – everywhere in the world, and there will be calls for journalists to be licensed and their output censored before publication.

The sad thing is that journalists” may find, when such calls are made by those who are opposed to free speech and freedom of thought, that they have alienated so many people in the society with their stupid publications in the past that their defenders will be extremely few in number.

www.cameronduodu.com