Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has assured journalists and media practitioners of the government’s readiness to work with relevant stakeholders to protect journalists in the line of duty.
Speaking at the 27th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Media Awards held in Accra last Sunday, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said though attacks on journalists and media organisations have increased, his outfit will do everything within its means to support and protect the media.
“Indeed at the Ministry of Information, our data suggest that it is getting worse, it taking a disheartening trend and becoming a darkening blot on our democratic credentials as a country. Our ministry shall do all within our part to ensure that the National Media Commission (NMC) and the security agencies are supported and are pressured to do what they are tasked with,” he added.
While asking journalists to continuously serve the country as part of their civil responsibilities of disseminating and providing information to the public and state actors to take decisions, he said the state institutions at the forum will also account to the public the level of investigations on the murder of, for example, Ahmed Suali and attacks on stations such as radio Ada and Radio Benya.
The Minister who also commended the awardees and journalists for contributing to the architecture of an informed and a democratic society bemoaned the high rate of misinformation and disinformation that have characterized the media landscape citing some episodes of events where certain comments attributed to him at a book launch were untrue.
Mr. Nkrumah further advised that the growing trend of this recent phenomenon if not checked would not only erode the trust of a cherished profession but may also affect the long held democratic credentials Ghana is touted for.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah