Hitler's propaganda chief, Joseph Goebbels, is not a hard act to follow. For anyone interested in using the electronic media to achieve mischief, Goebbels is the "authority" to rely on. Squealer in George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is another one and equally noteworthy. They perfected the art of lying through the teeth.
Last week saw the most cynical, callous and irresponsible use of state owned media to create a state of panic throughout the country.
In response to the widely advertised KUME PREKO march, the state owned media, spearheaded by the Ghana broadcasting Corporation, launched into shrieking hysteria and tried to use the media to sabotage the demonstration. IN the event, things backfired and the nation's capital witnessed one of the largest voluntary anti-government marches to be undertaken in the nation's history.
The day before the demonstration, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation ran an hourly panicky and totally uncalled for broadcast, calling on traders to shut their shops because according to them, some irresponsible people were planning to loot their shops. This was rather strange, because the traders themselves had already announced that they would be shutting their shops in solidarity with KUME PREKO. Their announcement was even carried a good two days ahead in last week's edition of THE STATESMAN.
GBC's hysteria was clearly meant to create a sense of insecurity and fear, so that the march would be sabotaged. But they clearly miscalculated the mood of the country and the determination of Ghanaians to strive for Freedom and Justice.
GBC's report of the march and its aftermath, together with what appeared in the DAILY GRAPHIC and GHANAIAN TIMES are so unbelievable in their distortions, downright lies and pure and simple deception of the general Ghanaian public. Luckily, other sources are putting out what really happened.
WE have reports that CNN covered it and our people in America and the rest of the World know what actually happened. The BBC World Service carried extensive reports detailing most of all that took place on that fateful day and indeed, eye witnesses, by word of mouth, are carrying the truth around.
It would seem that our state owned media will continue to refuse to learn from history and insist on playing Goebbels and Squealer.
But the truth, as they say, is like a calabash in water. The only way you can keep it submerged is to suppress it, but sooner or later it pops up.
Rawlings, Totobi Quakyi, and David Anaglate may not know it, but other evil manipulators of the media have come and gone and theirs is but crude imitation. There is a lesson in all that. The state owned media never advertised KUME PREKO. Even GBC TV refused to carry out a paid advert. All the publicity KUME PREKO got was through the private press. That the march succeeded beyond every one's expectation, is a sign of the changing times - the state owned media have lost touch!
THE CASUALTY LIST
DEAD
1. AHUNU HONGAR 14 SHOT
2. JERRY OPEY 25 STABBED
3. KWABENA ASANTE 22 SHOT
4. RICHARD AWUNGAR 43 SHOT
WOUNDED
1. YAW FRANK OBENG 19 GUN SHOT
2. YAW KYEI 22 GUN SHOT
3. AKWASI ABABIO 31 STAB WOUND
4. KWABENA APPIA 21 STAB WOUND
5. ABUKARI ADAMU 23 GUN SHOT
6. GOERGE ASOMANI 28 GUN SHOT
KWABENA TWUN 21 GUN SHOT
8. GEORGE AGYIRI 22 GUN SHOT
9. ABDUL RAZAK 23 GUN SHOT
10. ABDUL RAM OSUMANU 39 GUN SHOT
11. ISAAC NORTEY 40 GUN SHOT
12. EMM. MENSAH 21 STAB WOUND
13. YAW ATTAH
14. STEPHEN HOLDER
State of Emergency? - THE STATESMAN
Hitler's propaganda chief, Joseph Goebbels, is not a hard act to follow. For anyone interested in using the electronic media to achieve mischief, Goebbels is the "authority" to rely on. Squealer in George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is another one and equally noteworthy. They perfected the art of lying through the teeth.
Last week saw the most cynical, callous and irresponsible use of state owned media to create a state of panic throughout the country.
In response to the widely advertised KUME PREKO march, the state owned media, spearheaded by the Ghana broadcasting Corporation, launched into shrieking hysteria and tried to use the media to sabotage the demonstration. IN the event, things backfired and the nation's capital witnessed one of the largest voluntary anti-government marches to be undertaken in the nation's history.
The day before the demonstration, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation ran an hourly panicky and totally uncalled for broadcast, calling on traders to shut their shops because according to them, some irresponsible people were planning to loot their shops. This was rather strange, because the traders themselves had already announced that they would be shutting their shops in solidarity with KUME PREKO. Their announcement was even carried a good two days ahead in last week's edition of THE STATESMAN.
GBC's hysteria was clearly meant to create a sense of insecurity and fear, so that the march would be sabotaged. But they clearly miscalculated the mood of the country and the determination of Ghanaians to strive for Freedom and Justice.
GBC's report of the march and its aftermath, together with what appeared in the DAILY GRAPHIC and GHANAIAN TIMES are so unbelievable in their distortions, downright lies and pure and simple deception of the general Ghanaian public. Luckily, other sources are putting out what really happened.
WE have reports that CNN covered it and our people in America and the rest of the World know what actually happened. The BBC World Service carried extensive reports detailing most of all that took place on that fateful day and indeed, eye witnesses, by word of mouth, are carrying the truth around.
It would seem that our state owned media will continue to refuse to learn from history and insist on playing Goebbels and Squealer.
But the truth, as they say, is like a calabash in water. The only way you can keep it submerged is to suppress it, but sooner or later it pops up.
Rawlings, Totobi Quakyi, and David Anaglate may not know it, but other evil manipulators of the media have come and gone and theirs is but crude imitation. There is a lesson in all that. The state owned media never advertised KUME PREKO. Even GBC TV refused to carry out a paid advert. All the publicity KUME PREKO got was through the private press. That the march succeeded beyond every one's expectation, is a sign of the changing times - the state owned media have lost touch!
THE CASUALTY LIST
DEAD
1. AHUNU HONGAR 14 SHOT
2. JERRY OPEY 25 STABBED
3. KWABENA ASANTE 22 SHOT
4. RICHARD AWUNGAR 43 SHOT
WOUNDED
1. YAW FRANK OBENG 19 GUN SHOT
2. YAW KYEI 22 GUN SHOT
3. AKWASI ABABIO 31 STAB WOUND
4. KWABENA APPIA 21 STAB WOUND
5. ABUKARI ADAMU 23 GUN SHOT
6. GOERGE ASOMANI 28 GUN SHOT
KWABENA TWUN 21 GUN SHOT
8. GEORGE AGYIRI 22 GUN SHOT
9. ABDUL RAZAK 23 GUN SHOT
10. ABDUL RAM OSUMANU 39 GUN SHOT
11. ISAAC NORTEY 40 GUN SHOT
12. EMM. MENSAH 21 STAB WOUND
13. YAW ATTAH
14. STEPHEN HOLDER
State of Emergency? - THE STATESMAN
