Assault Of Journalists, A Stain On Our Democracy

*By Selase Kove-Seyram*

When David Tamakloe of the *Enquirer *newspaper was allegedly attacked by Mercy Anane on September 15, 2006, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) came out strongly with a statement against the action.

The statement made it clear that the GJA would take legal action against persons or groups who assaulted members of the media. They further appealed to the inspector General of Police and minister of Interior to curtail the rising incidents of violence against journalists.

It was not only a case of the GJA protecting member journalists, but the statement and registered displeasure highlighted the indispensable place of the media in our steady march towards sustainable democracy. The assault of reporters was a dreary order our budding democracy could not afford to cash.

One wished that the infamous 'Anane-Tamakloe' incident would remain an isolated case of violence against media professionals, but like a bad cold which keeps coming, the GJA has been compelled to issue several statements since.

That was long before renewed calls for stronger institutions to help build our nation. It was also over a decade after the media in Ghana was given a fresh breath, with the birth of media multiplicity. But situation has been devalued with similarly recurring acts of violence against journalists.

Fast forward to Saturday, August 22, 2009. What do we see and hear on this issue? It’s another case of the heckling of a journalist at the National Delegates Congress of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). An event meant to give proof to our democratic credentials as a nation plays host, however nuance, to the violation of another’s rights. How come?

Reports carried in the media reveal that Afia Pokua, Adom FM’s reporter fell victim to an assault in the course of performing her professional duties at the NPP delegates congress. Afia, who needed a sound bite from former President Kufuor to support her live report found herself been dragged on the floor by security details of the former President.

She recounts her ordeal which left her with bruises on her body and damages to her reporting equipment: “When I positioned my microphone to catch the attention of the President, the guard dragged me away on the floor. I was surprised because I believe he had seen me a couple of times in similar conferences”.

The issue of assault on journalists, though not new, is clearly an assault on our budding democracy. It suggests a disregard of the due process of our justice system, an immaturity in democracy and a lack of appreciation of the media’s role in governance.

On the eve of President Obama’s visit to Ghana, Joy FM’s Cyrus De-Graft Johnson and another reporter from radio Gold were beaten mercilessly by an Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) task force with policemen looking on. The two reporters suffered the assaults while reporting on the demolishing of unauthorised structures around the Tetteh-Quarshie interchange. The attackers also ceased equipment belonging to the reporters.

Although the president reportedly called later to apologize the reporters, the harm had already been done. Accounts by a colleague of the beaten Joy FM reporter revealed that “one could hear the sounds of slaps while the reporter was reporting live on air”. That’s unfair to our democracy. When such keys continue to be stroked, our cherished and budding democracy would be reduced to a trifle.

These recurring stains on our democracy are unfavourable to our growth. The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists catalogues a plethora of assault cases on journalists in Ghana. The opening paragraph of a lengthy essay on the subject, published on the Institute’s website, states:

“Considered by many to have an advanced media environment, the West African country of Ghana does have a number of press freedom problems that are inhibiting its continued development. Many of these problems are centered on the actions of local police, who have routinely assaulted journalists, as well as the supporters of political parties, particularly the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP)”.

No matter how hard we try to defend this as a nation, the evidence presented in the article would get us floored. The article shows that Ghanaian journalists have become assault preys to not only politicians, but people of different persuasions.

A clear example is the assault of a Ghana News Agency (GNA) reporter, Joyce Danso, by an official of the Institute of Charted Accountants, Michael Gberbie on 25th May, 2006. The IPI website recounts:

“Danso said she had gone to the graduation ceremony of recently qualified accountants and the official had refused to allow her to enter the hall. Upon identifying herself as a journalist, Danso was told she would have to report from upstairs. The official said, "If you don't take care, I will slap you." Danso was then slapped across the cheek. Gberbie was later arrested, but released pending a police investigation into the incident”.

Further down, “On 17 August, Ebo Hanson, a photographer for the state-owned newspaper, The Daily Graphic, was assaulted by supporters of several suspected drug-dealers facing trial for drug offences. According to Hanson, he was slapped and beaten by the perpetrators. The attack happened as the journalist photographed the person being escorted into a police vehicle. His camera was also seized during the attack. The attackers also threatened other journalists who were covering the trial”.

An end feature of these assault cases is an apology by or on behalf of the offenders, a call for investigations and unseen outcomes. Perhaps, the time has come for us to demonstrate courage and the willingness to embrace the warts and all of democracy. It gives us all the creeps when journalists who are supposed to be the bulwarks of democracy come under such threats. Our challenge is to choose the highway to democracy, a journey where all institutions of state are needed for development. The time is here, for if we don’t act urgently, the silence of our friends would hurt more than the screams of our enemies.

*Written by Selase Kove-Seyram Email: mycolumn.gh@gmail.com