It is not the job of the police to look for false news – Lecturer
First and second ladies can sue to protect their reputation – Prof Gadzekpo
A senior lecturer at the Department of Communication, University of Ghana Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, has indicated that Ghana’s journalism is in crisis.
According to her, media practice in the country is in crisis because some journalists intentionally make up stories just to tarnish the image of people.
Some journalists are: “deliberating fabricating without any evidence, this is happening in our media landscape both in the traditional media and in social media,” Prof Gadzekpo said on Joy News’s file monitored by GhanaWeb, on February 20, 2022.
She, however, noted that this “crisis” is not a matter for the police but can be dealt with through the strengthening of Ghana’s media laws.
“On the other hand, there is a question on how to deal with journalists or individuals who use the media in irresponsible or malicious and deliberate ways … that is where the concern about laws like causing fear and panic and recently the publication of false news come in,” she addedz.
The senior lecturer said the police cannot be going around looking for false news in newspapers and broadcast media to prosecute.
She added that “it's not their job” adding that other means can be used to sanction journalists’ bad acts including the use of the courts through civil libel to get justice.
“For example, in the Bobbie Ansah case ... I struggle to see why the police should come into this,” she said.
She said Ansah is accused of defaming the first lady (Rebecca Akufo-Addo) and the second lady (Samira Bawumia) and they are entitled to defend their reputations, however, they ought to defend it through other means.
Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has expressed anger at the affront to free speech that appears to be characterizing the work of the Ghana Police Service in recent times.
He was reacting to what he described as the Rambo style approach that has been recently adopted by the police, especially in arresting journalists while doing their work.
“There are some heinous crimes that you can also proceed to arrest. But allegations of misreporting, allegations that are considered as misdemeanors, you proceed to arrest the person, hijack the person by the trousers and lure the person into cells. That belongs to yesteryears. Not today,” he said.
Senior lecturer at UG, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo