The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has clapped back at the three member Ministerial Committee probing the killings at Ejura, for blaming the media over the brutality that was recorded on Tuesday June 29, 2021.
According to Sulemana Braimah, the endless and unwarranted attacks against the media by the Committee, is becoming one too many even though he admits journalists are not perfect human beings.
The comment by Mr Braimah comes on the heels of criticisms by members of the Committee, especially its chairman, Justice George Kingsley Koomson, who is also a Justice of the Court of Appeal, who claimed that, the media finds it difficult to accept criticism but are always quick to dish out same to others.
“As for our media friends, when you talk, they think that you are bashing them but they have the right to bash everybody in Ghana except themselves.
“The fact is that, we all know the media, it is the agenda that they set that they want Ghanaians to follow. So, when an incident happens, they “sit there, bring out issues, ask people to call in and express their minds and that becomes the topic for Ghanaians to discuss.
So, don’t be worried that they did not contact your outfit to ascertain who Kaaka is, or what he was and what he will be in Heaven.
In the course of his submission, the Ashanti Regional Deputy Commander of Police DCOP David Agyemang Adjem expressed disquiet about how the media chose not to publish a statement the Police issued about social media activist Ibrahim Muhammed aka Macho Kaaka but was rather interested in their own side of the issue.
But reacting to the concern on his facebook wall, Braimah said even though he agrees that journalists need to attach professionalism to their work, the Committee needs to understand that the brutality that was visited on the people of Ejura was not caused by unprofessionalism of the media.
Kindly read below his post…….
THEY WERE KILLED BY BULLETS NOT CAMERAS OR PENS
I have heard a member of the Ejuria Ministerial Committee re-echoing the current favourite chorus by members of the governing party including the President, about media and criticism.
The member, possibly the Chairman of the Committee, says the media thinks they can criticise everyone but no one can criticise the media.
In fact, he went on to adminish one of the security capos who was advising the media during his testimony, that his advice will be said to be an attack on the media.
Yes, Journalists, just like others in other professions such as police and miliatry officers, need to be professional in their work.
But professionalism on the part of a journalist does not include having to tell the military that they don’t have to use live bullets against protesters.
The increasing militarisation of civil affairs of our country is not caused by any unprofessional journalists. Journalists dont command the Ghana Armed Forces.
The military who went and killed the people in Ejura were not deployed by unprofessional journalists.
Those who shot to kill the people were not ordered or commanded by unprofessional journalists. Events happened, journalists reported. The Antagonistic posturing against the media must stop.
Source: newdawngh