Parliament commends Ghanaian Media

Members of Parliament on Tuesday commended the Ghanaian press for their courage, entrepreneurial spirit and persistence in moving the society forward in entrenching democracy and respect for fundamental human rights.

The MPs supported this view when Mr Samuel Buor-Karikari, NPP Amansie West, told Parliament that the Ghanaian media was living to their duty and role as the watchdog of government and civil society.

"Through the activities of the Media, a lot of corruption and rot in the society had been brought to the fore."

Mr Buor-Karikari said he was taking the opportunity on the World Press Freedom Day, which fell on May 3, "to congratulate the brave media outlets and Journalists with whom we have the privilege to interact".

The UN in declaring Press Freedom Day affirmed that "a free press is essential to the existence of democracy and fundamental human rights; exists in recognition of the sacrifices made in the struggle for freedom of the press and to put pressure on governments, that continue to deny their citizens this basic human right".

Mr Buor-Karikari said the day was not just to trumpet the role of the press in consolidating democracy and quoted Mr Winston Churchill as having said: "A free press is the unsleeping guardian of every other right that free men prize; it is the most dangerous foe of tyranny."

Mr Buor-Karikari said although 19 Journalists were killed worldwide last year and 136 were jailed in the performance of their duties for trying to the tell the truth about circumstances it was, however, "refreshing and heart-warming that Ghana's Press is ranked as free of repressive laws and press censorship.

"Political pressures, controls, physical attacks and violence towards Journalists if any, are minimal as seen by the World Audit Organisation on Press Freedom Ladder of 149 countries."

He said, " there have been few intimidations, which need to be addressed in our current democratic era", adding, "with the repeal of the Criminal Libel and Sedition Law, we can boast of a vibrant press who publish without fear of victimisation."

Alhaji Muhammed Mumuni, NDC-Kumbungu, supporting the statement said although the press was playing its watchdog role to an appreciable level there was the need to do more to ensure that Journalists by the freedom they were enjoying should not be blinded to fall foul of the law.

He said although the Criminal Libel and Sedition Laws had been repealed yet the individual libelled reserved the right to take a civil action to redeem his or her dented image he or she might have suffered from a false publication and that could even lead to some media houses folding up.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah, NPP- Sekondi and Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, said a nation without a vibrant press could not see its reflection in the mirror and that was why the government was bent on expanding and giving meaning to press freedom.

He said the government was doing that by allowing the press access to the Presidency and making sure that a cross-section of Journalists accompanied the President on official visits.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah said the government would work in transparency with the media to give them support in their duties because they had a responsibility to the people and owed the society a duty.

Mr John Mahama, NDC-Bole, said the press was vibrant and critical about the previous government's policies and efficiently played their watchdog roles which eventually contributed to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) falling out of power but now the media appeared to have gone to bed with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

He said the press in playing their watchdog role, should be prepared to take criticism in good faith and stop lambasting politicians and opinion leaders, who dared to point out the mistakes or their faults to them.

Mr Mahama said no one could claim infallibility and that it was pertinent for the media to put itself under the mirror to examine the attack it had launched on the Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin for saying at the World Press Freedom Day celebration that the Ghanaian media seemed to have gone to bed with the current government.