who is causing fear and panic in Ghana?

By William Antwi Asiedu

Recently, the Acting Joy FM News Editor, Ato Kwamena Dadzie, was ALLEGEDLY slapped with a criminal charge for ALLEGEDLY refusing to disclose sources behind a Joy FM broadcast that ALLEGED there were threats on Ghana Real Estates Developers Association (GREDA) executives. 

His ALLEGED refusal to name persons who were ALLEGED to have told the station that they had received threats for opposing the STX housing deal led to his ALLEGED arrest by the police, who ALLEGEDLY charged him for putting out information that had the potential of causing fear and panic.

In another development, on Wednesday, the police said they had invited the Editor of the Ghanaian Times newspaper, Mr Enimil Ashon, to come and explain why he had published falsehood. The Times had ALLEGED that armed robbers had occupied five police uncompleted buildings at Aboso, a suburb of Swedru. 

The police said their action was part of efforts to "protect life and property.” Ato Kwamena Dadzie was granted bail by the police after he was ALLEGED to have been officially charged on Monday. Speaking on Joy FM on Tuesday, the Head of the Police Public Affairs, DSP Kwesi Ofori, said the original intent of the police was not to arrest Ato. "Our intention was not to send him to court," DSP Kwesi Ofori ALLEGEDLY told Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, host of the Super Morning Show.

DSP Ofori said the police had a duty to investigate the case and "protect life and property" as well as bring to book the "perpetrators of the [text] messages." Mr Dadzie says he refused to disclose sources of the story when officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) demanded he did so, or face prosecution.

A number of issues flow from the recent developments on our media scene. Journalism is the mouth that speaks for the voiceless. Journalism is the platform on which the various agenda for the forward movement of this country are set. Journalism is the hand that feeds many practitioners and their families; so why would anyone want to hide behind the law and destroy journalism practice in Ghana? 

On the other hand, journalists are supposed to be men and women of high moral standing. Journalists are presumed to be professionals with unshakeable integrity. Journalists are expected to be brave and choose to die on their feet rather than live on their knees. So why would anybody who calls him/herself a journalist hide behind press freedom and play mischief by putting out information that has the potential of destroying the lives that the practitioners are duty bound to protect even at the risk of losing their own?

These are the questions that confront us today as a number of individuals and organisations continue to express disquiet about the invitation of the Times Editor, and the arrest and charging of Mr Dadzie under Section 208 of the Criminal Code for false publication intended to cause fear and harm.

For those suggesting that the police only wanted Mr Dadzie to help them to identify the targets of the murder threats in order to provide them with security, the question to them is: Why didn’t the police invite GREDA and find out directly from them if they had received any threats or whether they felt threatened in any way so that they (the police) could then go ahead to protect the THREATENED GREDA members, while they reported Mr Dadzie to the National Media Commission for “REFUSING to help them to get information from his (Ato’s) sources?” 

We should not lose sight of the fact that the idea that reporters have a duty to protect their sources has an honoured place in journalistic practice even though it is also true that stories based on information from named people are more credible and verifiable, and sources can be held accountable for falsities. 

Getting information is hard enough and the fact also remains that JOURNALISTS ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO FIND THE TRUTH AND TELL IT. We can only find information, which may turn out to be true or false. That is why, in journalism practice, there is room for retraction of stories, correction and rejoinders. In the same way, the police in the course of their duties, may wrongly accuse people, charge them and thus expose such people to public odium. It happened to KINAPHARMA, which was linked to ALLEGED cocaine deals.

This is why it is important for everybody, including journalists and the police, to handle information in such a way that in the event that it turns out to be true they are praised and when it is false, they are not necessarily held liable. In any case, only God knows the truth in all matters and at all times.

Before we, journalists, can get the public behind us, we need to clean up our own act in the practice of journalism and get back to basics by establishing and observing higher journalistic standards that ensure that we are not quick to publish stories that have no basis and which have the potential to cause fear or destabilise the country.

 However, it is my prayer that the police, the government and the general public would understand the peculiar nature of journalism practice and not hurry to give us bad names and hang us. Even if Ato Kwamena Dadzie and the Times Editor erred, the police had no business threatening them with criminal charges.

GJA meets Minister over Joy FM issue

The national executive of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has held discussions with the Minister of Information on the fall-out from the police reaction to the Joy FM publication of what was considered to be news with the intent to cause fear and alarm to the public.

The GJA restated its position that criminalisation of speech in any form will undermine the credentials of Ghana as a beacon of freedom of expression and democracy. The Minister, John Tia Akologu, promised the ministry’s commitment to partner the media in expanding the frontiers of freedom and strengthening public accountability.

You see, the police should not be doing what they were seen and heard doing last week, asking for the Attorney-General’s advice to slap journalists with criminal charges because the journalists ALLEGEDLY published stories that could cause fear. Who charged the Police Service with anything when the service initially refused to apologise for publicly disgracing KINAPHARMA with false information that was leaked to the press, linking the respected pharmaceutical company to cocaine?

Ei, Police Public Relations Chief, DSP Kwesi Ofori, as for the police’s moves on the media, massa it will not work-ooo. Because of you, I have had to litter my article with the use of so many “ALLEGEDLY and ALLEGED” that now I see myself as an ‘ALLIGATOR journalist’. Massa, you know you need us and we also need you to do our work so Sir, please mellow small. As for the police’s decision to start the process of charging journalists with crime for their publications, it is too HOT, aaaaaba, officer!

Ato Kwamena Dadzie and Enimil Ashon under fire?

Ato, you are lucky ‘papapapapapapapa’! ‘Heeee’, like by now you will be sweating in CID cells pending a court hearing of your case. Oh, my mate, your head-life (Wo ti nkwa). Charlie, news editor job is not easy-o so you have to look sharp or else.... You are lucky, it is ‘Asomdweehene’ Prof. Mills who is the President, if it were in those days, you would have smelt pepper. My friend, we will not stand by for anybody to criminalise your decision not to disclose your sources but please next time be more careful not to rely so much on your sources, some of them could land you at the CID Headquarters.

And uncle Enimil, ei your armed robbers story is ‘wild-o’. How many robbers did Times see in the police buildings? Anyway, whatever it is, nobody should charge you with the criminal offence of causing fear. As for that they lie baaaddd!