Opinions of Monday, 6 March 2023

Columnist: Rockson Adofo

Captain Smart must stop his bravado but unprofessional journalism

Captain Smart Captain Smart

Sorry, but as it is in the land of the blind one-eyed man is king, so also is it that in a country teeming with people lacking political discernment, one rogue journalist becomes the Almighty.

In Ghana, my country of birth, there is no shred of doubt in the mind of any discerning person that most of their so-called journalists are simply unprofessional, indeed, rogues pursuing their selfish parochial interests and devious political agenda.

One out of a hundred Ghanaian journalists can be said to be professional with the rest being a bunch of ignoramuses portraying themselves as journalists.

Without wasting our precious time, let me state to Ghanaians that programme presenter Captain Smart on Onua TV is not a journalist by the ethics of the profession but a complete insolent rogue presenting himself as a journalist.

I can hardly understand those Ghanaians who adore Captain Smart for being a bold journalist.

Is boldness the only quality required of a journalist? What about fairness, credible investigations into stories before presenting them to the public, impartial dissemination of information, etc.?

If the law enforcement of Ghana is that weak and stinky to allow for rogues to sit on TV and in FM stations to spew insults and lies about their leaders and people as much as they like, does that make them bold and credible journalists?

Captain Smart, like many other Ghanaians claiming to be journalists, had travelled abroad and keeps doing so. Does he see or hear of programmes presenters sitting in their stations always insulting the leaders of their countries?

Does he see journalists maliciously lambasting the rivals of their political paymasters without facing libel suits?

Captain Smart and other equally-uncivilized Ghanaian journalists are sickeningly applauded in Ghana for being bold.

Does going on air to discredit your leaders or people without the laws grabbing you for a reason or the other, make you a bold journalist? No!