Raymond Archer and Bigfoot Journalism

Life cannot be taken seriously all the time as one is bound to go round the bend if all the events of this life were given so much attention. A proper funny joke is sometimes all that we need to spice up this life to break the monotony. Consequently, when I found the term “Bigfoot Journalism” in a rebuttal article coming from no less a journalist than Raymond Archer was I thrown into irrepressible ebullition of mirth! What is this animal called Bigfoot journalism and who are those giving it life in Ghana?

No attempt is going to be made to define Mr Archer’s “Bigfoot journalism” as he undoubtedly knows what he means. But is it that sort of journalism where falsehood is concocted and given the face of truth to the point where no one can differentiate between what is a fact and what is fiction?! But is there any journalist in Ghana who epitomises this sort of journalism better than Mr Raymond Archer?: the Best Investigative Journalist in Ghana, the first African journalist to win the PRESTIGIOUS Global Gold Medal for Excellence in Journalism, the Natalie Prize for Africa and the co-winner for the Best West African Journalist.

I would like to state categorically that I have no grievances against Mr Archer but as a seasoned and prolific a journalist as he is and always hell-bent upon making the whole world believe he is, he will do himself a lot of good if he faced facts and addressed issues rather than always belittling people and arrogating himself above everyone else. If you happen to be licking his boots or singing his praises, you become his best pal; anything else and you are the worst mistake made by your parents to bring you into this world. However, the definite truth is that it takes someone who really loves you to tell you the truth. And on that score, Mr Archer’s so-called friends are his foes and his marked enemies are really his friends. It is a paradox but the world is full of them!

Mr Archer’s allusion to Bigfoot journalism stems from his own comments on Radio Gold which were meant to cast a slur on former president Rawlings and his wife. Mr Archer is right as he did not mention any names. Nevertheless, the best journalist to ever come from Ghana should know that an inference or an innuendo always has a target; and that aggrieved individual can always seek redress in court for libel as people can always make out whom the insinuation is referring to. Even the daftest person who heard Mr Archer on Radio Gold knows for a fact that he was referring to Dr Rawlings. To write a rebuttal article and deny this simple, plain fact is both nauseous and cowardly!

What is more, when it comes to talking about Bigfoot journalism, I really cherish the alacrity with which Mr Archer traps down his perceived adversaries. What with his constant bashing of JAK and other politicians and his recent “exposure” of Dr Wereko-Brobbey and his preparedness to collide with him in the law courts! He has not spared “The Searchlight” in his “lampooning” article. Reacting to the $5 million dollars he claims the Rawlingses have taken from the Mills Administration, Mr Archer does not address the issue at all except for attacking Mr Ken Kuranchie and his newspaper for practising Bigfoot journalism. He further kids himself by saying The Searchlight newspaper is only read by less than 100 people and that he regrets using his resources to help that “newspaper which has become an embarrassment”. This is where I have got a problem with Mr Archer. This guy has been blessed by God but only shows his gratitude by using every opportunity to demean others. Readers are only interested in knowing the facts and what transpired and not because you have given money/resources to someone. We are not interested in how many people read The Searchlight. We are only interested in the truth!

It has been reiterated several times that Mr Archer is on the NDC’s propaganda department’s payroll—especially the anti-Rawlings wing. I would want to believe that this contention is baseless. Yet, it beggars belief to remark that the NDC and for that matter, the sitting president has not come out to refute Mr Archer’s smear comments on Radio Gold. The NDC could at least show some solidarity if not gratitude to what Dr Rawlings has done for them and Professor Mills. Until the Swedru Declaration that brought Professor Mills to the glare of publicity and close to the presidency, who knew this man?! Raymond Archer should know that there is always a day of reckoning awaiting every man. The game ends when the fool repents of his idiocy (to paraphrase an African proverb) and when that time comes; poor Mr Archer will be in the middle and a lonely man.

In the final analysis, journalism is at the core of professionalism, dedication and fact-checking. The most important ingredient in all this is truth. When we all pore on a write-up, we should be asking ourselves if what is written is true. Or is it not a cunning, but cowardly calculated endeavour to soil somebody’s hard-earned reputation? Mr Archer is most of the time very economical with the truth all at the expense of settling a personal score. Mr Archer should learn to put himself in the sufferer’s stead and take a cue from the fact that “…unexamined life is not worth living”—with apologies to Socrates. Therefore, it will greatly advance his cause if he took a retrospective look at himself and made the changes which will strike some rhythm in his professional life.

Thomas Dickens.