Gradually, journalism, the fourth estate of the realm, is losing its glorious days. It has instead, come face to face with its sleazy moment. Untrained half-baked journalists are on the prowl to totally destroy the good image of this noble profession. Mushroom journalism schools are sprouting up like poisonous cow dung on an anthill and churning out boys and girls who cannot compose two sentences in English Language without a mistake. The situation is steadily becoming a serious concern and a nuisance value at times like this, when the country needs unbiased reportage to give the populace the opportunity to choose between the wheat and the chaff.
More than two decades ago, when I accepted to write this column, my mission, my historic mission was to be a self-appointed crusader, trying to salvage English Language and this noble profession from the grip of irresponsible and low grade journalists who bastardise the Queen’s Language. Much as I tried, the more they kept coming, muddying the clean waters of journalism. Poor me, it seems I have failed. I am a lone voice, crying from the wilderness. Yes indeed, ‘rented’ pressmen and women have taken control of the airwaves and messing around with impunity. The National Media Commission (NMC), which is supposed to be the watchdog, has become a toothless bulldog which cannot bite.
You tune in to your television or radio set and all that you hear are the voices of these upstarts, basking with borrowed robes, insulting people who can be their fathers and mothers. Because they are hirelings, they do everything to satisfy their paymasters. They throw caution to the dogs as they swagger on the screen as if they matter. No wonder the sages say, ‘he who pays the piper, calls the tune’ so, they must do the work for he who hired them. And so they throw the ethics of journalism overboard as they desperately try to satisfy their paymasters. They try to outdo each other in the ‘insulting competition’. They can easily be referred to as ignoramuses and uncouth. A lot of them are only good at Twi, the local language and when they try to veer into English Language, they falter because they are not good enough to deliver in the Queen’s Language.
Engage them in oral English and the best that they can do is to begin with ‘like, like’, ‘okay, okay’,’ I mean, I mean’. Many of them never read economics as a subject when they were in the Senior High School or universities but when seasoned Economists speak, they ignorantly wade in, thereby, exposing their low standard in the subject. If you take time to listen to some of them, you will begin to think these ignoramuses know everything from archeology to rocket science. Meanwhile, they know absolutely nothing. They think shouting and insulting is tantamount to knowledge.
Sometimes, I blame Nana Akufo-Addo for championing the repeal of the Criminal Libel law when he was the Minister of Justice and Attorney General during the reign of Mr. Kufuor. The crown of freedom of speech is becoming too heavy to wear. I once contemplated going down the gutter with these guys who are making journalism look like a bad profession. But when good counselling fails to whip them into line, some of us will bare our teeth to show these braggarts that we can bite and spit fire.
Politicians do not learn lessons at all. In the run-up to the 2016 general election, when the NDC ‘rented’ the Montie 3, to ruthlessly take on candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, little did they know that they were making the man more popular? Responsible Ghanaians were asking: “What has the man done to these small boys for them to take him to the cleaners?” That was why Nana Addo had sympathy votes from the undecided voters. Ghanaians abhor such behaviors so when you try to insult an elderly person, people move in sympathy with the person. Mr. Mahama, who enjoyed the way his opponent was being insulted on daily basis, paid a very dear price. He lost by a whopping one million votes. The Montie 3 insulting behavior did not win him votes, after all. The Montie 3 upstarts ended up as jailbirds, a tag that is still hanging on their necks and which they will carry till they die.
While watching Onua TV, the other day, I saw and heard this opportunist called Captain Smart referring to Dr. Bawumia as a dunderhead. (Bawumia abon) I said to myself: “Has it come to this? Has this braggart ever read the Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Bawumia, the learned economist? How can somebody who is far below the standard of this economic whiz-kid vomit these unholy words from his unbridled mouth? You see, the fact that you have the opportunity to sit on radio or TV doesn’t mean you are wiser than those of us who listen to you. Has this ‘rented’ so-called journalist/politician ever sat down to think of those who love and respect Dr. Bawumia, including yours sincerely? Captain Smart should cast his mind back to his family tree and tell me one person in his family who can be compared to Dr. Bawumia in terms of knowledge and political pedigree. Politics should not be taken to the level that this guy is taking Ghanaians to.
He said he owns a hotel, a fifty acre palm oil plantation and drives in a V8 luxurious car, among other landed properties. That is good. But how many TV and radio presenters can boast of these things? As an employee of TV and radio stations, where did he get the money to get all these things? That is the reason why people say he is a blackmailer and a questionable character. No wonder handcuffs have become his portion these days. The truth is that the guy is feeding on some people who hire him to do the dirty job. As for those who try to copy the uncouth behavior of this guy, thinking that they will have followers, somebody should tell them that like their role model, their days are numbered. A Pharaoh may come in Egypt who will not know Joseph. That is when the pendulum will start to swing right.
In all, Ghanaians should not allow themselves to be brainwashed or hoodwinked by these ‘rented’ journalists because they have nothing good to offer. Hunger has pushed them to the wall, and all that they can do to get off the wall and survive is to allow themselves to be used by politicians whose lust for power has no limit. Some of us did not sell our conscience for penitence. We blazed the trail through hard work. We did put our noses on the grind stone to come this far. When the going was tough with the Criminal Libel Law in operation and lurking in the dark, we kept moving on stealthily at the peril of our dear lives. If these crooks think provoking confrontation with the police and the courts will earn them respect and sympathy, they should think again. They are riding on the back of a tiger. Sooner than later, they will be devoured by the tiger. Let me relax with my last stick of hand-rolled cigar and just be.
BY Eric Bawah