It is "loose, not strategic" to boycott Joy FM, JoyNews – Baako to the government

General News of Saturday, May 4, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-05-04

Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr, criticized the government for boycotting Joy FM and JoyNews TV, as a result of disagreements between him and the media.

According to the editor of the newspaper New Crusading Guide, this decision – although not officially communicated – lacks courage.

"He [the decision to boycott] is loose and not strategic and I did not expect it to come from the NPP [New Patriotic Party,”] The veteran journalist angrily criticized the Newsfile program on JoyNews on Saturday, May 4th.

On March 7, JoyNews aired a documentary entitled "Militia in the Heart of the Nation" showing an unregistered security company and a militia group, De-Eye, training at Christianborg Castle, the former seat of government. .

The 22-minute documentary showed a group of pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) militiamen training within the facility, containing no fewer people than those appointed by the president. .

The government, through the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, filed a formal complaint on March 13 with the National Media Commission (NMC), saying that JoyNews denigrated his administration in his attempt to suppress the activities of the attacked party militias, the public functions were closed and a by-election was violent.

Government, since the release of the documentary produced by Manbadeh Azure Awuni, JoyNews' award-winning underground reporter, has refused to send representatives to participate in talks on the Joy FM and Joy News TV programs.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah apologized to The Multimedia Group Limited, owner of Joy FM and Joy News. Since then, station news producers have struggled to get government appointees who are paid with public money to contribute to public debates.

However, commenting on the boycott of the government, Kweku Baako urged the administration of the NPP, which is generally considered to be more friendly with the media than the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as it will yield no benefit.

"… If there is such a policy, I call on the government and the NPP to review it," he said.