So Anas can write too?

I now know better after reading his article entitled, STATE-FUNDED JOURNALISM – IN THE INTEREST OF THE STATE?, and published on page 21 of the 'Daily Graphic' of Monday, February 28, 2011.

In writing that article, the inscrutable Anas revealed a part of him as an intelligent young man, with the ability to defend himself, without the verbal abuse of his critics.

Before I refer to the article further, let me focus on some of the criticisms leveled against Mr. Anas as an investigative journalist.

His collaboration with certain agencies of the state has been called into question as unethical. Professor Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh of the School of Communication of the University of Ghana writes:

'The Constitution prescribes a necessarily adversarial relationship, as in tiger and chicken, and not 'catch the thief and I pay you' cahooting. That flies in the face of all the watchdog constitutional provision.' (See his article entitled, A TIGER AND A HEADLESS CHICKEN TANGO, and published in the 'Daily Guide' of Monday, February 14, 2011, page 20).

To Professor Ansu-Kyeremeh, Mr. Anas' collaboration with agencies of state, or even with the Central Government itself, was not motivated by a patriotic desire to work in the interest of our dear country, but by pure, mercenary considerations. Hear him:

'The real deal, not the ostensible claim of cahoots in the name of the Motherland, is that the tiger and the chicken say it's all in the cause of the Motherland. I nearly said 'apeetoo'. I don't believe that for a second. I say dat one, na lie.'

Can there be a clear-cut distinction between the work of an investigative journalist and a police investigator, or even a private detective? Professor Ansu-Kyeremeh thinks so. Hear him:

'A journalist investigates to expose misdeeds, while a criminal investigator gathers evidence that will secure a conviction in court of law. We should not mix the two.'

Mr. Anas has also come under attack for his 'cloak-and-dagger' modus operandi. It is said to be unethical. Let me answer this last charge first.

Article 12 of the Code of Ethics of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) is entitled, INFORMATION AND PICTURES. Paragraph 1 states: 'A journalist shall obtain information, photography, and illustrations only by straightforward means.'

It means that no journalist, whatever his area of interest or specialisation, should adopt subterfuge or any disguise or trickery that deceives his 'victim' into thinking what the journalist is not.

However, Paragraph 2 of Article 12 also states: 'The use of other means can be justified, only by overriding considerations of the public interest.'

What moves Mr. Anas? What makes him use these 'cloak-and-dagger' methods? Is it the mercenary desire to make money for himself? Is it an ego-centric motive to achieve fame and honours at the expense of others? Is it truly in the public interest?

To the best of my knowledge, I have never met Mr. Anas. I am neither his lawyer (I am not even a lawyer) nor his spokesman. I am therefore, not in a position to state what drives him: selfishness or public interest.

Still, this I believe: assuming without admitting that the lust for money and fame motives him, Mr. Anas has consistently shown that the public interest also moves him.

He writes in his article under reference: 'Do we fold our arms and look on as our society is racked with a legion of evils?'

Euro Foods was using maggot-infested flour to produce biscuits for human consumption. Some

Chinese had formed a prostitution ring in our country. A Ghanaian was corrupting our youth with a brothel fronted by a drinking bar.

Our premier psychiatric hospital needed attention. Our children at our flagship Osu Children's Home suffered maltreatment. He exposed the horrible conditions and dangers posed to inmates in a Thai prison, including fellow Ghanaians.

In the case of his investigations at our borders and ports, and the criticisms he has attracted, he writes: 'What matters is the fact the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is recouping millions of dollars in revenue which has been lost to the state over the years; it also matters that some level of sanity has returned to Tema Harbour.' That is part of his answer to his critics.

I am neither a lawyer nor a journalist. Again, I cannot claim to have read the 1992 Constitution from the first word to the last. I should therefore, be grateful to anyone who can point out to me which law in Ghana, or part of the 1992 Constitution, states that the media and the government of the day should adopt adversarial positions towards each other.

What does that mean? Does it mean that, for example, it is wrong for journalists and the government to enter into any kind of relationship that could be considered as friendly? Should journalists refuse to join government delegations, both within and outside the country, in order to report the news?

Who made the law that an investigative journalist exposes misdeeds, while a criminal investigator gathers evidence to be used in a court of law? What an absurdity!!!

The OXFORD ADVANCED LEARNERS'S DICTIONARY defines the word 'misdeed' as 'a wicked act; a crime; an evil deed; a wrongdoing; a crime.'

In Ghana, for example, stealing as a misdeed is not only morally wrong, but is also a crime. If, in the course of his investigations, a journalist discovers evidence that links a person to the crime of stealing, does he ignore the evidence on the grounds that it is not his job to uncover evidence of crimes? In what sense or context did Professor Ansu-Kyeremeh use the word 'misdeed' in his article?

When Mr. Anas uncovered the use of maggot-infested flour by Euro Foods, was that a misdeed or a crime, if we are to go by the absurdity of Professor Ansu-Kyeremeh?

Why have journalists in general, and investigative journalists in particular, been fatal targets of governments and criminals? It is because these men and women uncover 'misdeeds' that can be such crimes as embezzlement, murder, and involvement in the drug trade.

In effect, the work of the investigative journalist and the police crime investigator from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) may achieve the same purpose, that is, uncovering evidence about wrongdoing, or crime, or misdeed.

I am glad that Mr. Anas remains committed to his work in spite of criticisms, some of them wholly unjustified. He writes: 'I do not regret at all the type of journalism that I practice.' Kudos to him!