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General News of Friday, July 12, 2019
Source: clbadfmonline.com
2019-07-12
Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
Ghana's Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, described the badbadination of Ghana's investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale last January as "the worst" attack on freedom of expression. the press in the country.
Speaking at the world conference on media freedom that has just ended in London, Nkrumah said: "In recent years, Ghana has also experienced its share of attacks against free media, despite its good results.
"The worst being the cool-blooded murder of Ahmed [Hussein]-Suale would be related to his work as an badociate of the Tiger Eye PI media organization. Unfortunately, our investigative agencies have made little progress in arresting and punishing the perpetrators of such acts.
"It seems that we have considered the excellence of our media and the tolerance of the public as acquired, but we must now face the changing realities and do more," he added.
The two-day conference was also used to discuss ways to ensure responsible media practice and the safety of journalists.
Oppong Nkrumah, who led the Ghanaian delegation, said that Ghana has put in place and continues to put in place a strong mechanism for free and responsible media practice through constitutional and legal frameworks.
"Ghana has repealed the criminal libel law, promulgated a whistleblowing law and recently pbaded the right to information law. These developments have introduced a refreshing pluralism into the Ghanaian media landscape. It has also opened access to new and diverse voices that have fostered democracy and participation in governance and development; and most importantly, strengthening freedom of the press, "Nkrumah told the conference.
Ghana's performance in the World Press Freedom Index in recent years, said the minister, has been commendable, despite recent reports of attacks on media freedom.
The minister, who is also a deputy of Ofoase Ayirebi, revealed that Ghana is taking steps to fight against abuses and attacks against journalists by setting up a coordination mechanism for the safety of journalists, which he believes , will help various abuses and independently validate future claims of attacks.
He also revealed that Ghana is putting in place a media capacity building program to support quality journalism, but that it will not fail to legislate to combat misinformation and misinformation, which are challenges that threaten confidence in the media.
The minister urged the media and journalists to go beyond investigations and disclosures of wrongdoing, but also to use their platforms to highlight positive developments in society.
The first World Conference on Freedom of the Media was organized jointly by the British and Canadian governments.
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