Journalists To Be Jailed

Journalists who publish news reports considered to be inflammatory to the situation in Yendi will be jailed for three months. The warning comes after the media front became divided over whether or not to comply with a directive that all news reports from Yendi should be cleared at the Information Ministry before publication.

Government invoked the 1994 Emergency Powers Act over the weekend to prevent what Information Minister, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey describes as inflammatory and injurious reports that could worsen the already volatile situation in the Dagbon Traditional area.

Media organizations have expressed varied opinions about the order for all news reports from Yendi to be approved by government before publication. Some senior reporters and editors who see the directive as an attempt to gag the press have declared that they will not comply with it while others say they will comply in the interest of national security.

Meanwhile, the general public seems to support government’s directive that all news items on Yendi must be censored before publication or broadcast. They argue the directive is necessary considering the fact that the Northern Region is prone to conflict. A few others however see the directive as an attempt by government to cover up its lapses in handling the situation.