Komla Dumor attacks Daily Guide

Messrs Komla Dumor and Stan Dogbe of Joy FM yesterday went on a rampage, spewing uncomplimentary remarks about Daily Guide, as they frequently do. They accused the paper of being paid to write stories against them.

The radio offensive threw ethics overboard, as the duo, steeled in their trenches, fired all manner of invectives against the paper from 6.30 am when they reviewed the newspapers on the station's Super Morning Show hosted by Komla Dumor, until about 10.00 am.

The attacks on the Guide were so intense and suffocating that staff of the paper who heard the tantrums of the duo couldn't help but tag the presenter of the programme as “Rawlings Dumor.”

Incidentally Dumor has a predilection call Daily Guide, “Rawlings Guide” sometimes when the paper came out with its usual expose on Rawlings.

No wonder the series of calls that came later into the programme were uncharitable to Daily Guide for allegedly publishing an untrue story about Dumor.

In a well-orchestrated plan, while Komla perched in the JoyFM studios, from where he undertook the lame rubbishing of Daily Guide, his accomplice and lackey, Stan Dogbe, hopped from Adom FM to Peace FM and then to Radio Gold to attack the paper and its Managing Editor.

Komla Dumor, whose election as journalist of the year stirred copious dust on the media terrain, accused Daily Guide of practising bad journalism and tarnishing his image.

Not satisfied with their two-pronged assault on Daily Guide, he is reportedly heading for the National Media Commission to lodge a complaint, while, the paper is also readying itself to call his bluff on the same platform, with a series of complaints ranging from unethical treatment of its in-house generated stories, which together with others, form the basis of Joy Fm's newspaper review segment.

Sometimes he and his colleague Stan, had have the audacity to condemn headline stories on the front page of the Guide, and say they would throw it to the trash can! Sheer intrigues and trivializing of Guide stories have arguably, been the flagship of their programmes. It would do them a lot of good to forage for their own (in house) stories rather than solely depend on the print media.

Komla Dumor's ferocious assault on Daily Guide was triggered by a publication in yesterday's paper.

In a report filed by two reporters dispatched to cover NDC cadres' conference at the Osu Presbyterian Church, former President Rawlings apparently satisfies with Komla Dumor's presence at the function, announced his comeback into their fold.

This was subsequently reported in the Daily Guide issue of yesterday but it caught the ire of Komla and Stan.

Rawlings told the gathering that Komla wants to be a good journalist of pride because he does not want to be part of the rot. He attacks them (NPP) as he used to attack us and they don't understand.

Komla refuse to be drawn into the NDC, saying that with the paper linking him to the NDC, his reputation was at stake. “The only asset I have is my reputation,” he told his supposedly three million listeners.

But the Managing Editor of the paper, Mrs. Gina Blay said she is surprised with Komla's accusation that she was paid to write the story.

She was equally surprised at why Komla was ruffled with the publications, saying that the NDC is after all not leprosy to warrant his indignation to the extent that he does not even want to be associated with it.

In any case, she said, the publication was not offensive. “If there was any complaint, it should be Jerry Rawlings who should be making it over possible misrepresentation.”

As to Komla's accusation, that she was being paid to run him down, she said that is his problem, about which she has no comments to make.

“If he is on a regular payroll of some political parties for his morning shows to run down Daily Guide we are not perturbed. We would do all we can to adhere to the ethics of the profession” she stated.

The Daily Guide Managing Editor stated that she was not interested in any media war adding that she is leaving the whole issue for the discerning listeners and readers to listen and read between the lines to find out what Komla and his colleague Stan stand for.

“As colleagues we must learn to tolerate each other. It is dog bite dog palaver, blood should not flow. If they want media war, Daily Guide will not be the first to declare one. We have been tolerant of many unsavoury things meted out to us including subtle innuendos calculated to bring us down.” she said.

“But we are getting bigger and better,” she assured.