Enforce laws on abuse of press freedom – Prof. Essilfie-Conduah

Chairman at the Journalism Department of the African University College of Communications (AUCC), Professor Nana Essilfie-Conduah has called for the enforcement of the powers given the National Media Commission in the regulation of press freedom in Ghana.

Prof. Conduah, participating in GH One TV’s current affairs programme - State of Affairs which discussed the sustenance of the peace the country has enjoyed over the years in this election period, said there is too much lax in the system. And that according to the veteran journalist and political historian, has encouraged the abuse of the freedom of the press.

“Outsiders who come to Ghana and know things about press freedom worry more the things we do that the laissez-faire is too much in the system. It’s gone out of the band. Something’s got to be done,” he told Nana Aba Anamoah.

“And if you kind of polled parliamentarians anonymously, they would tell you they would wish that something was done to that clause and that chapter about this [press freedom],” he added.

Prof. Conduah stated that the National Media Commission needs to enforce the laws on media houses found culpable of abusive language usage. He further blamed the Ghana Journalist Association for the channeling out of amateur journalists.

‘‘You can blame this on the GJA. These are people who want positions or executive positions. Let’s sort out who is really a journalist. Until journalism sorts itself out, the country will continue to have to bear with this. It is a serious sour point that we’ve got to clear up in this country,’’ he cautioned.

“…You have a big problem in the media today and that takes me to this freedom stuff. Freedom requires responsibilities and that responsibility must be the most delicately handled aspect of this freedom. You can blame it on three things – the GJA [Ghana Journalist Association]; the trained material [journalists] and the ownership.

‘Ka bi ma me nka bi’ [let’s pitch our minds together] doesn’t mean that [with respect] every nonsense goes, every insult goes, every indecorous statement goes. But here we are there’s always the excuse ‘but this is freedom of speech’. No, it is not, it’s a serious abuse of the freedom of speech. Maybe somewhere along the line if we want to write the law, we shall have it that the disabuse of freedom must also be penalized as a criminal stuff,” he added.

Prof. Conduah also dismissed talks that the National Media Commission [NMC] lacks the legislative powers to shut a media outfit down.

“They do not lack [the powers to sanction] it. Everything in that Chapter 12 gives the NMC [the powers]. One sentence, “the Commission is charged to take all steps to ensure the attainment of high journalistic standards and its sustenance.” That is the only institution among state institutions, not even the president has that [power]. What again do you want?”