Jerome Otchere takes on Countryman Songo over insults on John Paintsil

Ace sports journalist Jerome Otchere has issued an emphatic condemnation of the vile insults directed at assistant coach of the Black Stars, John Paintsil, by Adom TV’s Patrick Osei Agyemang, popularly known as Countryman Songo.

The former editor of Kotoko Express communicated his disgust and abhorrence of the verbal abuse of the former Black Stars right back by Songo via his X page on Friday, March 22, 2024.

Jerome Otchere stated that the conduct of Songo is against journalistic ethics and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

He chided Countryman Songo for his penchant for insults as a means of addressing people who hold divergent views from his.

While Jerome Otchere holds no brief for Paintsil over his comments on the ‘Save Ghana Football’ demonstration, he insists that media practitioners must at all times uphold decorum and respect when dealing with issues.

“Songo’s verbal abuse of @GhanaBlackstars Deputy Coach, John Painstil on live television and radio is utterly condemnable. Multimedia must take a grim view of his misconduct and act accordingly because such a stream of unwarranted, barefaced, hateful, insults is not entertained in any civil society.

“What kind of media culture are we building? I know he and of course, his admirers will disagree with me and predictably they will let me have my dose of the uncouth language they speak of all who dissent on his style of sports presentation.

“At this stage, I do not care because some of these things should be called what they are — WRONG! They must have no place in sane media and civil society. I am not perfect but if in our work or lives, our duty is not to set good examples for others to follow, then we are wasting whatever we have been given.

“We all have our take on anyone working for the Black Stars. We all like or do not like one or two things the team and their officials do. That is normal but to mount media platforms to wash a national figure in the manner, Songo does must be rejected by all right-thinking members of the sports and media fraternity,” he shared on X (formerly Twitter).

A video widely circulating on social media captures Songo using some unprintable and ethically questionable words on John Paintsil following his appointment as deputy coach of the Black Stars.

Songo has a bone to pick with John Paintsil because he claims the former Fulham’s defender’s public statement on the demonstration held on February 14, 2024, is an attack on him (Songo) as he was a convenor of the protest.

Meanwhile, John Paintsil is in Morocco with the Black Stars, who are preparing to take Nigeria on Friday, March 22, 2024.

The team will also play Uganda on March 26 to conclude the March 2024 international break.

Songo’s mindless verbal attack on John Painstil

Songo’s verbal abuse of @GhanaBlackstars Deputy Coach, John Painstil on live television and radio is utterly condemnable. Multimedia must take a grim view of his misconduct and act accordingly because such a stream of unwarranted,…

— Jerome Otchere (@JeromeOtchere) March 22, 2024