Some private newspapers are crying wolf over the refusal of the Ministry of Information to grant them accreditation to cover British Premier, Tony Blair’s visit to Ghana. The Independent newspaper reports that majority of the local press were neglected while hordes of foreign journalists were given accreditation.
According to the paper, apart from the Ghana News Agency, Ghana Television, TV 3, The Ghanaian Chronicle, Ghanaian Times, Daily Graphic, JOY FM and Radio GAR, none of the over 30 remaining local media houses were given accreditation to cover the event. Instead they were asked to source news from the Ghana News Agency, and buy pictures from the Information Services Department.
The paper says although it appreciates the fact that the visit had to be handled against the back drop of security and terrorism concerns, government should have appreciated the fact they were not interested in second-hand news.
“The CNN’s of the world hardly rely in second-hand news though they are privately owned. What need to be appreciated is that news gathering is a very fluid area which, abhors the press briefing style.”
The paper says journalists in this country are not terrorists to be kept away from high profile visits and asks, “if Tony Blair were as African leader, would such segregationists selection be imposed on Ghanaian journalists in such an underhand manner?”
“There is certainly no justification for this attitude of the style of the handlers of the Blair visit and we expect the Ghana Journalists Association as a recognised umbrella organisation of journalists in this country to respond positively. It is a sad day for journalism practice in the republic that has freedom and justice as its motto and is also against discrimination of any kind,” it added.
Meanwhile, a section of the Ghanaian public hold the view that Tony Blair’s visit to Ghana was long overdue.
They told JOY FM that Mr. Blair’s visit coming about forty years after a British Premier visited Ghana should serve as a platform to cement the existing relationship between Ghana and Britain. Others however cautioned that it would be suicidal for Ghanaians to expect an instant economic turnaround from the Prime Minister’s visit.
Tony Blair’s visit was not characterised with the usual fanfares that accompany such visits. There were no flags, posters, giant bill boards etc in the city of Accra to suggest that an international personality was visiting the country.
The situation sharply contrasts with the visit of various leaders including former US President Bill Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II, the Sultan of Brunei and others. The High Street journal reports that the low-key reception for the British Prime Minister has also been given a different interpretation.
A government official said it was mainly due a request by the British government but some members of the public think that it has more to do with security following the 11th September attacks.
