The Upstarts at "The Chronicle" Should Give Us A Break

A GNA Feature by Boakye-Dankwa Boadi

Accra, May 24, GNA - Our elders say: "nsuo taa aponkyereni a ogye woo" - literary meaning "if the frog takes in too much water it belches".

Kofi Coomson and his lackeys at "The Chronicle" have been ridding the tiger and must know that they would end up in its belly.

"The Chronicle" in its lead story of Vol. 14. No 175. Tuesday May 24, 2005 edition stated among other things: "But intelligence picked up by 'The Chronicle' suggests that despite the planting of carefully scripted apologia and self-glorifying testimonials in various mass media outlets including the Ghana News Agency, which was accessed by "The Chronicle" on Saturday and the respectable 'Daily Graphic", hardly any of the thirteen member Council whose membership include Students Representative Council, is anxious to see a reversal of the decision of the Council to get him to step aside at the prime age of 56."

One would have allowed such a blatant lie to go without comments since falsehood has been the hallmark of the "Mercenary Journalists" at "The Chronicle". Indeed our elders say; "se wo pam ohu fo na wo angyea a wokoto ne barima" -literary meaning if you continuously pursue the coward you end up meeting his strong man.

Apparently because the "Mercenary Journalists" at "The Chronicle" have been allowing people to plant stories in their newspaper, they think that all other Media Houses do the same thing.

One would want to assure the "Mercenary Journalists" at "The Chronicle" that the Journalists at the Ghana News Agency do not allow planted stories not even from Government or the Management of the Agency to get onto its network.

The Management once released a statement, which was not duly signed and the "Home Desk" refused to push it until the Management did the right thing. This is the stuff the Professional Journalists at the Agency are made of. They would not sacrifice the ethics of the profession in order to make cheap money to live like kings and queens.

For "The Chronicle" to state that Professor Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere planted "a carefully scripted apologia" in the Ghana News Agency files is most unfortunate and unbecoming of Kofi Coomson and his lackeys. Kofi Coomson and his lackeys must be told that Prof Asenso-Okyere's statement was treated in the same way as other statements. If "The Chronicle" may care to know, the Ghana News Agency receives an average of about 10 statements from various sources daily and processes them. They range from petitions, press releases from the Government, organisations, individuals and newsmakers and one could say with certainty that the Ghana News Agency has over the years lived above reproach.

The Agency has lived and would continue to live to achieve the dream of its Founding Father, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who at the inauguration of the Agency on 5th March 1957 said that the Agency should strive hard so that any news item sent out would be received as the most authentic anywhere in the world. This is the vision and mission of the Journalists at Ghana News Agency.

Now let us turn attention to the substance of the story. Any discerning reader would see how crafty the 'Mercenary Journalists" at "The Chronicle" are. They jumble facts with opinions and make conclusions that they expect the gullible reader to swallow, line, hook and sinker.

One might ask: Did "The Chronicle" interview all the 13 members of the University Council before writing the story? If even it did it is not likely that all of them would say they did not want a reversal in the Council's decision. At least one of them would have stated that he or she would prefer not to comment looking at the calibre of persons that constitute the Council.

Even at the risk of being accused of taking sides with Prof Asenso-Okyere, one could state without any equivocation that the man has high credentials and is of the highest pedigree that none of those at "The Chronicle" could ever attain in their lifetime unless they changed from their crooked ways.

Arrogance and pride do not pay. The Council had accused the Vice-Chancellor of non-performance and the man comes out to catalogue his achievements both in the academic field and in infrastructure development.

His revelations have dealt a fatal blow to the stance of "The Against People" so they leak out what they purport to be the minutes of the Council meeting to "The Chronicle" just as they did with the initial report of the Mfodwo Committee. The Mfodwo Committee Report was leaked to the Media before it was sent to the Vice-Chancellor, who set it up. Every average Ghanaian can see the ill logicality in the logic of the University Council's decision given all the facts as they stood now. One only hopes that good judgement would prevail at the end. The battle would be arduous but victory would be for the just, they say.