After The Dust Settled

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor was dead right when he commended the management and staff of Oman FM, for the integrity of the station and its proud achievements in the effective and efficient discharge of its obligations, culminating in the prestigious image it has deservedly won for itself within two years of its operations.

Having presided over the first media monitoring exercise carried out by the National Media Commission, I am conversant with the indices for measuring the effectiveness of a media house when it comes to its contributions to expanding the frontiers of media freedom, democracy and national development.

On that basis, I have come to admire the morning programme of Oman FM, which the station has dubbed, National Agenda. It is one of the most objective, candid and insightful programmes.

That was why I was dismayed on April 1, 2010 when a friend called to find out whether I had heard that one of the outspoken staff of Oman FM had been picked up by State Security for unexplained reasons. I had tuned in to Uniiq FM when the call came. Therefore, I switched on to Oman FM to hear the harrowing news that, the director of radio of the station, Kwabena Kwaakye, had been abducted or kidnapped from his house by unidentified military personnel.

I was naturally shattered, especially as the story was moved to Mr Kwaakye's residence to interview the hapless wife and distraught children. And when the purported wife broke down and started weeping uncontrollably in the middle of the interview, no listener was left in doubt about the criminality of those who effected the arrest of Mr Kwaakye.

My mind went back to 1993, when another journalist, Nkansah Daaduam, was arrested by the military and later presented on national television with his ego and self-esteem bruised and battered, to sheepishly ask for forgiveness from his compatriots, for being impertinent. He never regained his confidence fully.

From the weeping wife, the story moved on to the Tema correspondent of Oman FM, who brought oil to fire, by stating that all night he spoke to Mr Kwaakye, who at one point insisted that the fire which gutted a gas station at Tema was the work of internal arsonists and that somewhere along the night, he lost contact only to learn that Mr Kwaakye was picked up by military personnel.

He promised to follow-up at the Burma Camp to see what was happening.

The public reaction was spontaneous as some callers pleaded with the station to stop broadcasting as a sign of protest. Indeed, some solemn music was played, but the programme continued.

I received about 10 calls from the Northern, Ashanti and Western regions as to whether what they had heard was true. In all, anxiety and sadness could be discerned in the voices of the callers, some of whom I did not know by person or name. All that I could say was that it was too early to pass judgement and that as the day wore on, we would get the full story.

Even long after the station announced that the story about the arrest had been contrived and it was just an April Fool hoax, there were many Ghanaians who continued either to grieve over the arrest or pour scorn on the government for the dastardly and backward act.

There were a few who prayed to God to protect and safeguard Mr Kwaakye's life and deliver him from the hands of the shameless and cowardly security personnel and those who ordered his arrest.

The abductors or kidnappers were seen as power-hungry and blood-thirsty individuals who could not tolerate media freedom, divergent opinion and open criticism.

Thus, although the station has apologised and explained the action, it must be noted that when we engage in jokes which have security implications, especially as explosive as the unilateral abduction of a journalist by national security, we must be ready to accept responsibility.

For, as has been noted “the guarantee of media freedom does not mean that a journalist could shout fire, fire in a crowded meeting place and escape punishment” because of the pandemonium it could generate.

We are not hermits. Elsewhere, media personnel who engaged in reckless and wicked April fool hoaxes that had the potential to affect the sensibilities and sensitivities of their audiences were disciplined.

A few years back, Happy FM was involved in similar hoax on April Fool's Day, with the promise of job recruitment. Within minutes, the office of the radio station, along the Graphic Road around the Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle, was besieged. Motorists had a hectic time. In the end, it was explained as a hoax on April 1, with profuse apologies.

In a typical Ghanaian timidity and fama Nyame attitude, the matter ended although individuals could have brought civil action against the station, whilst the state could have prosecuted it for peddling falsehood.

If we want to engage in April Fool, we must tell stories that evoke laughter but which all discerning persons would see through as a joke. The joke about the purported arrest of Mr Kwaakye was to say the least mischievous and in bad taste as it elicited comments, some of which projected the government in very dysfunctional and derogatory terms.

Almost a month on, I have chosen to disturb the Hornet's nest, refusing to let sleeping dogs lie because the incident was the type which could have resulted in needless chaos and panic. If Ms Rose Atinga Bio were to act, that would have won her public approval and presented her positively to a large number of Ghanaians, and even if after the explanation, we would all have pleaded with her to excuse and release those arrested in connection with that April Fool hoax which went awry.

Accordingly, civil society activists and advocates of free and responsible media must strongly condemn such acts when they do happen, to send strong signals to all that we would never again allow any abuse of the airwaves for destructive jokes.

Fiifi Boafo, Wofa Kwabena Kwaakye, Ms Asabea Cropper and the team need to be encouraged, but they must admit that their April Fool hoax went sour and way beyond the boundaries of ethics and law.

They must keep up the good work but note that one minute of unprofessionalism and misjudgement or lack of appreciation of the cultural context could be costly.

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