Stop Publishing People’s Families Personal Matters

Imagine, waking up on a particular morning to find your family matters, about your parents, personal issues you had with your spouse, or with close relatives, boldly published on the front pages, all over the national daily newspapers and websites, exposed to the whole world via the internet, how would you feel? Awkward as it may seem, but this is now a part of the daily tasks of some of our press, to go undercover and reveal family personal issues of “public figures”.

Although, we are in a “democratic” society in which freedom has been granted to every individual and organization, but with limitations, the freedom of the press has overtime been taken as a war shield, where some reporters attack families by publishing stories about their personal issues under the pretext of relating these stories to politics or "of public interest" and quickly, hiding under the shield of the “Freedom of the Press”.

For two consecutive days, June 14 and 15, 2018, a family’s divorce case was reported in great detail in one of the national newspapers with headings on the front pages, boldly written “.... DUMPS ... ’’ and “I’ve Not Cheated -.... Hits Back At Husband” respectively. At a glance of these papers, my conscience started asking me, who wrote these stories and decided to title them as such? Is it a family affair paper? A gossip newspaper? Who edited and approved these stories with such headings to be published? And lot, and lots of questions hunted my mind as I could not understand why some innocent reporters have overnight transformed into ‘CIA agents’ over Ghana’s families. This is but among the many similar stories been published over time.

This issue has become part of the information being fed the citizens, that almost every news website or publisher cannot publish without any story and or title of such. A couple of these titles are like;

• “.... goes to court to divorce .... ”
• “ .... can’t zip up his flag - .... Accuses husband of habitual womanizing; 5 other serious crimes”
• “ .... reveals the man she was caught in bed with.”
• “..... TV host’s bedroom mystery man finally found.”
• “My relationship with .... is not the best - .... ”
• “ .... has more than 4 children.”
• “ NDC hired .... to insult big men in the NPP - Man claims” and dozens of titles of the like.

Is this what we should flood the media with? Do Ghanaians need to be fed with such information?

The media, especially the national and international together are indeed a powerful tool that can be used to cause both positive and negative impact on society, and must be used rightly to foster development and promote peace. Rather than a satellite, orbiting around politicians and other "financially resourced" people, taking coverage of their personal and family issues. This tool is gradually being turned into an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, causing total destruction through the facilitation of the breakdown of family ties, which is the backbone of the African community. Polluting children’s minds with insult exchanges and matters of sexual relationships between some individuals whom they call “celebrities” and “top politicians”.

Tempting people’s emotions, as well as wasting their time and data unnecessarily on the internet as they have to scroll through series of such junky stories to some valuable news items. Do we need such stories to get more readers? Or to promote buying of our newspapers at the expense of someone’s privacy?

This normally subject victims to the trauma of receiving phone calls and gossip visits from other relatives, friends and ‘career gossips’ for confirmation and further re-broadcast of what they have read.

Some television stations also interview proud sodomites, who are not even telling the public to stop such imoral act, but also claiming of embarking on protestations for legalizing that nasty act of theirs, which isn’t only frowned upon by all religious bodies in Ghana, degrades our cultural values, but also contrary to common sense and a grave contradiction of nature. Do we need such on our media platforms? Do we give precious time to such (proud) sodomites to corrupt of morals instead of holding positive developmental discussions?

Until 1935 when this word ‘gay’ was attested, had its meaning depleted and was used to describe the male version of sodomites, it has been trying to penetrate our society. If the media continue to give its platforms to this sodomitical canker, it will not realize its true purpose of establishment in the country. In the Glorious Qur’an, God Almighty says about the Prophet Lut's (peace be upon him) cautioning words to his people when they were steeped in this sickness called homosexuallity, in the following verse below;

"Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people." (Qur'an 7:81)

A Message to The Media
For us Ghanaians to move forward as a people, our media personnel would have to scrutinize the information they put out for the innocent public. Social media is already causing a lot in promoting and facilitating gossips, the national media should try to avoid such. There is a lot to report than to invade people’s privacy and family personal issues, for it makes the work of arbitrators of family issues very difficult. Some people are always trying to resolve their personal matters amicably, but once you publish it all over the front pages of the national newspapers to milk the public of their GH₵ 2.50, (cost of each of the newspaper as at the time the article was written) the chances of their reconcilement becomes very low.

We are all humans, we err sometimes, we go through difficult times, we pardon one another even in the most critical situations and we amend our ways then reunite when people around make us to understand our short comings, rather than publicly exposing our weaknesses just for GH₵ 2.50 or popularity of website.

The press should focus on showing national developmental issues like 'Mission' and 'MTN video report' on TV3 news, 'Market Report on Pan African TV', 'JoyNews Hotline Documentary', publishing awakening daily editorials and other important news items. Let’s not ruin the positive achievements of the media over the years with these developments.

Sodomite interviews and discussions, (which are a threat to national security and integrity) should not be held on TV stations, nor related stories get published. The Ghanaian child is watching and reading this filth, being brainwashed, and if not controlled, it will breed and groom a generation of sodomites and morally decayed citizens, which we are not known for and will further break our community, which indeed will be a victory for plotters.

As we strive to protect the economic future of our next generation, let us also secure for them, the best eternal resting place in the hereafter, where we can reunite as one people, as one Ummah (nation) in Jannah (Paradise).

"And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion; but the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah, so will you not reason?" (Qur'an 6:32)

"And the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life]." (Qur'an 93:4).