Spies set on journalists

The recording of a private conversation between ace journalist Ebo Quansah and another colleague by unknown persons, and how it subsequently ended up being played in the studios of Accra-based private radio station Asempa FM, has raised security and ethical concerns on invasion of privacy.

On Monday, October 4, 2010, Mr. Quansah, who is a former editor of the ‘Evening News’ newspaper, a former journalist of Ghanaian Times and former President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), went to the International Press Centre, the home of all Ghanaian journalists, around mid-day to have lunch while conversing with a friend.

They sat at the ‘Skuup’ restaurant which is located at the Press Centre and engaged in a chit-chat over lunch, oblivious of the fact that every word of theirs was being secretly recorded by someone closely seated by.

After lunch, Mr. Quansah, a weekly columnist with DAILY GUIDE, who has since reported the incident to the National Media Commission (NMC), said he left the Press Centre to follow up on other errands in town only for him to receive a call from the Member of Parliament for Adansi-Asokwa, K.T Hammond, seeking to know whether he was on Asempa radio station. The veteran journalist said he was completely lost as to what the MP meant since he did not recall granting any interview to the station or being a panelist on the widely-listened-to station.

He therefore denied granting any interview on the radio station or any other station that day.

According to him, the MP asked him to tune in and listen to a programme which was being aired on that network and that a recording of his voice was being played loud and clear to the hearing of all listeners.

Unfortunately for him, the former SWAG President said he could not listen to the programme since he did not have a radio at that moment.

Apparently, he said the private conversation he had with his friend earlier in the day at the Press Centre had been recorded and played on Asempa FM, hence the numerous calls he received.

“From the afternoon till the next morning, I had more than 20 calls from seriously worried family members in my hometown Ekumfi Ekrawfo and all over the country,” he said, emphasizing that “friends and well-wishers also called in to find out what was happening.”

The playing of the said voice recording was said to have provoked a lot of comments from the panelists on the programme, some of whom were also said to have taken serious issues with Ebo Quansah and his friend with whom he had the conversation.

It is believed that some spies operating for National Security had been deployed and planted at some leading churches across the length and breadth of the country, media houses and political circles to not only record, but also monitor the activities and operations of these personalities who are perceived to be anti-government.

Veteran journalist Ebo Quansah thus considers these and other developments as very serious issues which need national attention and has petitioned the NMC and the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA) to investigate the matter and apply the necessary sanctions against the radio station and the yet-to-be identified reporter who recorded their private conversation and subsequently aired it for obviously mischievous purposes, before things get out of hand and control.

This, he said, was because the recording was neither done with his or his friend’s consent. He asked a question which begs for answers, “If one cannot feel safe enough in a private conservation at the International Press Centre, then where is this nation heading to? Surely, this nation is not drifting to the era when it was dangerous to have a chat anywhere.”

According to him, this is because “Some of us have battled over the years to help entrench free speech and freedom of association in the conduct of affairs in this land of our birth”, adding, “We would not abandon our role in safeguarding our hard-earned freedom.”

In these times when Ghanaian politics is gradually being eroded with insults and hate speeches, Ghanaians may have to be careful about their utterances since one, especially journalists and politicians alike, maybe targets of some of these smear campaigns and diabolical recordings. Copies of the petition have also been forwarded to the GJA, Multimedia Group of companies, owners of Asempa, and the General Manager of Asempa for action.