Journalist and lawyer, Samuel Appiah Darko asserts that Executive Director of Media Foundation of West Africa, Sulemana Braimah has failed for the second time in his quest to discredit investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Mr. Darko’s comment comes on the back of a clarification by BBC that it has not distanced itself from Anas.
Prior to the public screening of Anas’ latest piece on June 6, 2018, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, mentor of the investigative journalist said the exposé was a Tigereye – BBC project, stressing that any attempt to prevent the video from being shown to the public would be an exercise in futility.
However, Mr. Braimah who had expressed why ‘Number 12’ is not a journalistic piece engaged the BBC via mail on their contribution to the documentary.
Contrary to reports that the BBC in its interaction with Braimah denied having collaborated with Anas and his Tiger Eye PI, the British broadcaster in a Facebook post asked the public to disregard the claims.
“Please note that reports circulating in the media that BBC Africa Eye is distancing itself from Anas Aremeyaw Anas are completely untrue. In fact, we are currently working with Anas on a new project. When we produced our exclusive Africa Eye film, Betraying the Game, we made it perfectly clear from the outset that this was a documentary about his investigation. Anas has himself confirmed this and agreed that our documentary would include questions about his methods as well as his extraordinary revelations, which were clearly overwhelmingly in the public interest to report” the statement read.
According to Braimah, the response from BBC has only muddied the waters. He argued that no entity is “circulating that information in the media that says ‘BBC Africa Eye’ is distancing itself from Anas Aremeyaw Anas”, adding that if the statement from the BBC is to prove there was a collaboration, the inconsistencies are glaring.
Reacting to the development, Darko said, “Baako never said the collaboration was in relation to the undercover work. The collaboration BBC had with Anas was teaming up to broadcast the footage Anas gathered during the undercover work.”
For him, Braimah is overly enthusiastic in his attempt to discredit Anas.