Media owners a threat to our media structure – GJA President

The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Roland Affail Monney has raised his concern about the increasing levels of adulteration and the gradual shift of the Ghanaian media structure from its main functions.

Narrating the independence journey of the media, he revealed that media professionals were formerly gagged, arrested and faced some brutalization for criticizing the government back in the day. But they (journalists) were able to gain media freedom after a long battle for their rights.

According to him, the invasion and control of the Ghanaian media space by the political and business class was unforeseen when the fight for media pluralism began and was achieved.

The President of the GJA added that “The government became the biggest threat to the media back then and we asked them to lay their hands off the media. They did so but we did not foresee politicians and the business class invading the media space.”

He made this comment in an interview with Happy 98.9 FM’s Samuel Eshun, host of the Happy Morning Show.

He reiterated the fact that the media freedom fighters never foresaw media pluralism resulting in the invasion of the media space by politicians and ownership control.

He noted that in this new era where the media has been invaded by the politicians and business people, they control what happens on their space and dictate content.

“The power to change opinion is now being taken away by media owners. They have become the greatest threat to our media structures. And for that matter, we have to take a hard look at the ownership structure of the media.”

Affail Monney motioned that if politicians can own more than two (2) media houses, they are shaping opinions and dictating content. “And if that happens, we are skewing and defeating the principles of pluralism,” he said.