Nana Aba Anamoah, Broadcast Journalist
A presenter on Ameyaw Debrah's Ameyaw TV, Zeinatu Erebong Issahaku, has accused Nana Aba Anamoah on social media of ‘killing’ her dream of becoming a news anchor.
According to Zeinatu, she had always had a dream of becoming a news anchor and thus tried to grab the opportunity by auditioning for a role at GHOne TV.
But after passing the first stage of the interview, Zeinatu said her dream was shattered at the second stage, which was an interview session.
Narrating her experience on Instagram, Zeinatu stated that Nana Aba, as one of the interview panellists, belittled and humiliated her, causing her to weep in front of the popular broadcaster.
Apart from making her feel worthless, Zeinatu continued, Nana Aba also told her point blank that she would not employ someone working for a gossip and entertainment news platform.
"...You work for someone who gossips about people for a living? How do you expect me to employ someone who does rumor to come and host a serious news show?" she quoted Nana Aba as saying.
After the interview, Zeinatu said, she got depressed and even lost interest in Ameyaw TV because she feared it might affect her chances for a future job.
She said she was, therefore, surprised after seeing a video of actress Victoria Lebene delivering a special news report on GHOne TV.
For Zeinatu, this meant Nana Aba rejected her because she was a nobody and should have boldly told her without belittling her.
Read her full text below:
A month ago or so, Gh One called for an audition. I went through the first stage and barely made it to the second stage which was an interview. Nana Aba Anamoah was on the panel and she made me feel worthless to the extent that I cried right in front of her. I’m not even worried about that part. A question was asked and in answering, I made reference to the fact that I was a host on Ameyaw TV. This is what Nana had to say about that:
Nana: Rumor? You work for someone who gossips about people for a living? How do you expect me to employ someone who does rumor to come and host a serious news show?
Fast forward, I just chanced [upon] this video of Victoria Lebene with a special report on GhOne TV. A little background on Victoria: She’s an actress, and what people call “slay queen” on Instagram.
Yet here she is on a “serious news show” with a “serious special report”. Not to add that Serwaa Amihere of the same GhOne, used to do entertainment news with Berla Mundi on “Glitterati”. But today, you Nana, feel these two ladies deserve the chance to be on your “serious news” show and I don’t because I host an entertainment news show on @AmeyawTV. Double Standards!!!
After this said interview, I felt worthless and incapable. Her remarks made me doubt myself so much I got depressed for sometime. I felt that way because all my life, doing straight news/serious news was always what I wanted to do. Even my colleagues at AmeyawTv have told me a couple of times my presentation sounds more “serious”. So after her comments it got me thinking and I felt my dream will never come through.
I almost lost interest in AmeyawTv along the way because I felt working there may spoil my chances of ever anchoring “serious news”.
This video today, however, makes me believe that maybe she just wasn’t interested in a “nobody” like myself. Maybe you weren’t feeling my vibe Nana, all you could have done is to tell me that and not belittle someone’s creativity (Ameyaw Debrah).
Sad thing is, these same people go on seminars and talk shows and preach “nurturing talents” and “giving the young ones a chance”.
Not to mention you were one of the few journalists I looked up to.
While Nana Aba Anamoah has not responded to Zeinatu's claims yet, YEN.com.gh checks suggest the post has been taken down.
Zeinatu is an upcoming journalist who graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2018.
